2021 NBA Playoff Thread

[3Peatkb24]

Hats off to the Clippers, I guess their Role Players are SuperStars now. They don't even need Leonard apparently, not when you have Terrance Mann and Nicolas Batum . Reggie Jackson may win MVP next year at the rate he hits 3, Steph better watch it . At this point I would just like to see the Nets and Clippers lose but I doubt the Clippers lose as they have a SuperStar team led by Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, Terrance Mann, Pat Beverly, and Nicolas Batum . Terrance Mann scored 39 points, let that sink in. He averages 7 points a game. Terrance 'freakin' Mann. Hell I may try out for the NBA next season as an old fat, beer bellied dude if that guy can score 39!

Clippers are in the Final 4, maybe they will hang a Final 4 banner. Something was real fishy with this series, Leonard ruled out for Game 5 and the Clippers win in Utah anyway, then Leonard out again for Game 6 so nobody in their right mind bet on the Clippers to win this game. Vegas is laughing their asses off right now. This is why I make friendly bets, like 20 or 50 dollars and don't bet big because in the end the house almost usually finds a way to win . Everyone will bet on the Nets Sunday but it would not shock me if the Bucks find a way to win that game. Someone like Holiday will score 35 points and Pat Connaughton will find his inner Reggie Miller and hit 5 3's

[3Peatkb24]

Hats off to the Clippers, I guess their Role Players are SuperStars now. They don't even need Leonard apparently, not when you have Terrance Mann and Nicolas Batum . Reggie Jackson may win MVP next year at the rate he hits 3, Steph better watch it . At this point I would just like to see the Nets and Clippers lose but I doubt the Clippers lose as they have a SuperStar team led by Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, Terrance Mann, Pat Beverly, and Nicolas Batum . Terrance Mann scored 39 points, let that sink in. He averages 7 points a game. Terrance 'freakin' Mann. Hell I may try out for the NBA next season as an old fat, beer bellied dude if that guy can score 39!

Clippers are in the Final 4, maybe they will hang a Final 4 banner. Something was real fishy with this series, Leonard ruled out for Game 5 and the Clippers win in Utah anyway, then Leonard out again for Game 6 so nobody in their right mind bet on the Clippers to win this game. Vegas is laughing their asses off right now. This is why I make friendly bets, like 20 or 50 dollars and don't bet big because in the end the house almost usually finds a way to win . Everyone will bet on the Nets Sunday but it would not shock me if the Bucks find a way to win that game. Someone like Holiday will score 35 points and Pat Connaughton will find his inner Reggie Miller and hit 5 3's

It is just my opinion but todays NBA isn't near as great as it was in the 80's/90's/or the early 2000's when Shaq and Kobe were winning titles. I love how this generation will say "athletes are better today". That isn't necessarily true. Technology is better and athletes can recover quicker from injury, big difference. Athletes today are much better compared to the 60's and 70's but once the 80's hit the NBA changed a lot with much quicker, taller, stronger players, and the teams were better back then as well.

If the 1987 Lakers played last years Lakers Championship team, the 87 Lakers would demolish them. Probably in 5 games. LeBron and AD would be good for 1 win, maybe 2 but it would not go past 6. That Laker lineup consisted of:
PG Magic Johnson 6'9 220
SG Byron Scott 6'4 195
SF James Worthy 6'9 225
PF AC Green 6'9 225
C Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 7'2 250 (Kareem was around 250 that season, he bulked up)
6th man - Michael Cooper 6'6 180 and back then he raced a race horse once and won . He could defend anyone, talk about a great 2-way Wing player and he was a bench guy!

7th man - Mychal Thompson 6'10 250 all muscle - Rebounding machine, they needed him after 1986. When they got him the Lakers had 0 weaknesses.

-these teams today even under these rules would get ran over like a bug playing that team. That Lakers team could even shoot the 3 if a team today forced that kind of game. Cooper and Scott both were deadly from 3. The Lakers were deep and played as a team period. Magic could've scored 30 a game but chose not too which was even scarier. He still got you 20 a game but dished out 11 or 12 assists. His teammates loved him, I will never ever see another team like that again. Kareem although out of his prime was still giving other teams fits with 17 a game and his FG% was insane - his skyhook was still unstoppable, Worthy could take anyone off the dribble today and score at will - he was good for 20 a game, and AC Green was our Garbage guy - he was basically Draymond Green in a nut shell.

[lakerevolution]

Clippers finally pop their WC Finals cherry in unimaginable fashion - without Kawhi and without PG dominating the game as he did in Game 5. Shame on Quin Snyder and his team for throwing away a 2-0 lead. Clearly the Jazz need more than Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

As for the NBA, I wouldn't be surprised if many old-school fans are tuning out because of all the three-point shots. It's suddenly replaced great defense and x's and o's in the paint as the way to win games. I mean, if you have a few guys on your team that can make 'em at a 36-41% clip, then I guess you let 'em shoot - make or miss. It's like when deep downfield passes revamped the NFL after the merger, or when the MLB became a home-run derby, juiced balls and steroids and all. We're fans of showtime transition passing, the occasional high-flying dunk, and really good half-court sets. A three-pointer wasn't the backbone of the offense. Today, you HAVE to be able to make at least 14 to 18 a game on 40% or higher shooting or you really aren't a threat to get far in the playoffs. Oh well.

[3Peatkb24]

Clippers finally pop their WC Finals cherry in unimaginable fashion - without Kawhi and without PG dominating the game as he did in Game 5. Shame on Quin Snyder and his team for throwing away a 2-0 lead. Clearly the Jazz need more than Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

As for the NBA, I wouldn't be surprised if many old-school fans are tuning out because of all the three-point shots. It's suddenly replaced great defense and x's and o's in the paint as the way to win games. I mean, if you have a few guys on your team that can make 'em at a 36-41% clip, then I guess you let 'em shoot - make or miss. It's like when deep downfield passes revamped the NFL after the merger, or when the MLB became a home-run derby, juiced balls and steroids and all. We're fans of showtime transition passing, the occasional high-flying dunk, and really good half-court sets. A three-pointer wasn't the backbone of the offense. Today, you HAVE to be able to make at least 14 to 18 a game on 40% or higher shooting or you really aren't a threat to get far in the playoffs. Oh well.

Most would think I love this style of play in today's game. That was really all I could do well is shoot 3's back in my day. I used to launch 30 footers sometimes and could make a few. Being only 5'8 I was a liability on defense so all I did was shoot 3's and FT's every day by the 100's. Having said all of that, I don't like this style at all. Players like Steph and Klay have perfected it and my hats off to them but I like watching the type of ball that was played in the 80's and early 2000's. Not really so much the 90's because in the 90's there was a lot of dirty play and low scoring games - see the Bulls, Knicks, and Pacers. 80's was real physical and some players got dirty at times but teams scored a lot as well. I don't know really what to say except my hats off to ever who wins it this year and I miss the Lakers already.

[3Peatkb24]

Clippers finally pop their WC Finals cherry in unimaginable fashion - without Kawhi and without PG dominating the game as he did in Game 5. Shame on Quin Snyder and his team for throwing away a 2-0 lead. Clearly the Jazz need more than Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

As for the NBA, I wouldn't be surprised if many old-school fans are tuning out because of all the three-point shots. It's suddenly replaced great defense and x's and o's in the paint as the way to win games. I mean, if you have a few guys on your team that can make 'em at a 36-41% clip, then I guess you let 'em shoot - make or miss. It's like when deep downfield passes revamped the NFL after the merger, or when the MLB became a home-run derby, juiced balls and steroids and all. We're fans of showtime transition passing, the occasional high-flying dunk, and really good half-court sets. A three-pointer wasn't the backbone of the offense. Today, you HAVE to be able to make at least 14 to 18 a game on 40% or higher shooting or you really aren't a threat to get far in the playoffs. Oh well.

Most would think I love this style of play in today's game. That was really all I could do well is shoot 3's back in my day. I used to launch 30 footers sometimes and could make a few. Being only 5'8 I was a liability on defense so all I did was shoot 3's and FT's every day by the 100's. Having said all of that, I don't like this style at all. Players like Steph and Klay have perfected it and my hats off to them but I like watching the type of ball that was played in the 80's and early 2000's. Not really so much the 90's because in the 90's there was a lot of dirty play and low scoring games - see the Bulls, Knicks, and Pacers. 80's was real physical and some players got dirty at times but teams scored a lot as well. I don't know really what to say except my hats off to ever who wins it this year and I miss the Lakers already.

I will add more to this, teams back in the 80's (when the 16 team format took place in 1984) and 90's didn't lose Game 7's at home. The only 2 teams to win a Game 7 on the road were the Pacers over the Knicks in the 1995 Semi's and the Rockets did it that same year over the Suns in the Semi's. You see it more now, even the 73-9 Warriors lost a Game 7 in the Finals at home. A great team should never lose Game 7 at home. The Lakers won at Kings in Game 7 as well in the 2002 WCFinals and the Pistons won at Heat in the 2005 ECFinals. I see teams now days get complacent a lot more than back in the day. That stat of teams up 2-0 in any series was at 95% that team would win up through the 1999 season. Since the 2000 season, it is at 80%. Significant drop off, any team up 2-0 should never lose either IMO - that is just a choke job when that happens. Now days if you are down 2-0 it is far from a death sentence. Jazz are the latest loser of being up 2-0.

[3Peatkb24]

Clippers finally pop their WC Finals cherry in unimaginable fashion - without Kawhi and without PG dominating the game as he did in Game 5. Shame on Quin Snyder and his team for throwing away a 2-0 lead. Clearly the Jazz need more than Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

As for the NBA, I wouldn't be surprised if many old-school fans are tuning out because of all the three-point shots. It's suddenly replaced great defense and x's and o's in the paint as the way to win games. I mean, if you have a few guys on your team that can make 'em at a 36-41% clip, then I guess you let 'em shoot - make or miss. It's like when deep downfield passes revamped the NFL after the merger, or when the MLB became a home-run derby, juiced balls and steroids and all. We're fans of showtime transition passing, the occasional high-flying dunk, and really good half-court sets. A three-pointer wasn't the backbone of the offense. Today, you HAVE to be able to make at least 14 to 18 a game on 40% or higher shooting or you really aren't a threat to get far in the playoffs. Oh well.

Most would think I love this style of play in today's game. That was really all I could do well is shoot 3's back in my day. I used to launch 30 footers sometimes and could make a few. Being only 5'8 I was a liability on defense so all I did was shoot 3's and FT's every day by the 100's. Having said all of that, I don't like this style at all. Players like Steph and Klay have perfected it and my hats off to them but I like watching the type of ball that was played in the 80's and early 2000's. Not really so much the 90's because in the 90's there was a lot of dirty play and low scoring games - see the Bulls, Knicks, and Pacers. 80's was real physical and some players got dirty at times but teams scored a lot as well. I don't know really what to say except my hats off to ever who wins it this year and I miss the Lakers already.

I will add more to this, teams back in the 80's (when the 16 team format took place in 1984) and 90's didn't lose Game 7's at home. The only 2 teams to win a Game 7 on the road were the Pacers over the Knicks in the 1995 Semi's and the Rockets did it that same year over the Suns in the Semi's. You see it more now, even the 73-9 Warriors lost a Game 7 in the Finals at home. A great team should never lose Game 7 at home. The Lakers won at Kings in Game 7 as well in the 2002 WCFinals and the Pistons won at Heat in the 2005 ECFinals. I see teams now days get complacent a lot more than back in the day. That stat of teams up 2-0 in any series was at 95% that team would win up through the 1999 season. Since the 2000 season, it is at 80%. Significant drop off, any team up 2-0 should never lose either IMO - that is just a choke job when that happens. Now days if you are down 2-0 it is far from a death sentence. Jazz are the latest loser of being up 2-0.

YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I got my money back tonight, I just had a funny feeling the Bucks would win. 3Peat redeems himself, I just said fuck it after the Jazz lost last night and took the Bucks in a winner take all Game 7. Another team loses Game 7 at home .

[3Peatkb24]

Giannis is so humble. I listened to his post game conference. He is what the NBA should be about, he re-signed with the Bucks = he wants to win a Championship for a small market team, doesn't believe in joining Super Teams, and just talks basketball/wanting to win. Kobe was the same way. Kobe played in LA which is a big market but he stayed after Shaq left, we got Pau for him who was great but near Shaq like. The Lakers weren't a bought SuperTeam when Kobe won his last 2 Championships that is fact. Kobe, Pau, Odom, Artest, and Fish - that is far from a super team. Kobe was determined to win without Shaq - he did and that is why he is a top 5 player ever. Players like Irving talk like they don't care about the game at times. Giannis just plays ball, I am a huge fan of his. When he shoots FT's it is always a treat , never know what you are going to get, he made some big one's tonight. Like Shaq used to say, make them when they count that is all people remember and he did. As far as his personality he is a lot like Dirk was, Dirk won a Championship with staying with the same franchise as well and didn't join 2 other SuperStars to win a ring. IMO the Bucks are the team to beat now! Giannis is their only SuperStar, Middelton and Holiday are good players but far from great. I am happy for Lopez, he fits in perfect with that team. He isn't a stiff (to use a term Kenny loves to use) like most 7'0 footers are , he is an above average Center. I was hoping for a Jazz/Bucks final after the Lakers got eliminated, at least Bucks didn't shit their pants like the Jazz did. The Bucks did what most great teams do, they won all their home games in this series vs the Nets, you do that your chances of winning any series are high.

I will say this Kevin Durant might be the Offensive Scorer I have ever seen. He is unstoppable, he is up there with Jordan and Kobe regarding that. Every time Durant got the ball tonight I thought it was going in.

[Julius Russell]

Rooting for Philly.
Why?
Clippers have zero titles
Hawks have no titles
Bucks have old titles
Sixers have won before so it’s not a big deal

[3Peatkb24]

Rooting for Philly.
Why?
Clippers have zero titles
Hawks have no titles
Bucks have old titles
Sixers have won before so it’s not a big deal

Well Robert, all I can say is, this has been one fucking strange playoffs. Another team loses Game 7 at home. Sixers are out. The Jazz really had me fooled but I made up for it last night by picking the Bucks. I am just watching for fun at this point and there has been a lot of good basketball. I will say this, this generation of players has a lot of depth on each team talent wise. Who the heck is Kevin Huerter, he looks like High School Gym teacher . He killed the Sixers tonight. Players like him and Terrance Mann the other night vs the Jazz shows you anyone now days can have a huge game on any given night.

[3Peatkb24]

Rooting for Philly.
Why?
Clippers have zero titles
Hawks have no titles
Bucks have old titles
Sixers have won before so it’s not a big deal

Well Robert, all I can say is, this has been one fucking strange playoffs. Another team loses Game 7 at home. Sixers are out. The Jazz really had me fooled but I made up for it last night by picking the Bucks. I am just watching for fun at this point and there has been a lot of good basketball. I will say this, this generation of players has a lot of depth on each team talent wise. Who the heck is Kevin Huerter, he looks like High School Gym teacher . He killed the Sixers tonight. Players like him and Terrance Mann the other night vs the Jazz shows you anyone now days can have a huge game on any given night.

The Final 4 is here, that is when the big boys start to play. To make it this far is a very good accomplishment, great would be winning the championship. My picks are Suns over Clippers in 7 in the West, Bucks over Hawks in 6 in the East. I haven't talked about the Suns much but did pick them to win yesterday and I think they win the series. CP3 will be back and is an all-time great PG. Not sure if Leonard will even be back either? so Suns in 7 with the way Booker is playing. I have been on the Clippers butt all playoffs but to my credit I did pick them to get by the Mavs in Round 1, picked it in 7 so I nailed that series - Leonard wasn't going out in Round 1. I just thought the Jazz would beat them in 5 or 6 because of the depth they had on their team and Mitchell is a top 10 Floor player in today's league. I was way off there! When it comes to the Suns, I have changed my tune regarding Devin Booker, he is a top 10 Floor player in the league as of now. He is much better than I thought. Monty Williams should've won COY, Thibodeau won it but Williams deserved it. What he has done in Phoenix is nothing short of miraculous.

My current top 5 Floor players in today's game would have to be:

1. LeBron - I still think it is LeBron but lets face it folks, LeBron is getting up there in age but he is still LeBron. The torch may be passed after next season to someone else who knows? LeBron IMO is a top 5 player of all-time period along with Jordan #1, Magic #2, Kareem, Kobe and Bird, - Shaq was the most dominant player I have ever seen inside of 3 feet of the basket. LeBron needs that 5th Championship like Magic and Kobe have to enhance his legacy.

2. Durant - I still think he is slightly better than Giannis and Leonard regarding Forwards but that is arguable. What makes Durant better is, is his overall Offensive game and he has a better resume than Giannis and Leonard. 2 Championships won and he was the best player in both Finals that the Warriors won, not Curry. Durant also has won a League MVP.

3. Curry - Greatest shooter of all-time and the reason why I have him ranked him over Giannis and Leonard is his career resume. He is a 3-time World Champion and has won League MVP twice. He won a Chip before Durant even teamed up with him.

4. Leonard - Great 2-way player, 2-time World Champion. He is just injured right now unfortunately but we seen what he did to the Mavs during the final part of that series and what he did to the Jazz in games 3 and 4. Shockingly he has never won a League MVP??

5. Giannis - His all-around game is very solid. He still struggles with the outside shot and his FT's but he is improving. He still will get you 25-30 points most nights and his defense and rebounding are great. If he gets that Championship this year his resume will be complete. He has already won League MVP twice.

-James Harden is not a Top 5 player after re-assessing everything, yes he was playing with an injury against the Bucks during the Semi's but he was still out there and played huge minutes. IMO he looked fairly healthy in Game 7 and he still played average for his standards. That is what he always does in the Playoffs when it really counts. IMO he is also the biggest flopper in the league, gets way too many calls. He is technically a great player no doubt but during the playoffs he fades every season. I honestly think Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard are just as great, and players like Donovan Mitchell and Devin Booker don't flop when the wind blows lol.


My top 3 Centers/Big's are:

1. Nikola Jokic - He is the League MVP and is a great all-around player. Hard to argue this.

2. Joel Embiid

3. Anthony Davis
-This pretty undebatable and an easy top 3.

Playoffs 2021
So far biggest surprise (team wise) - Hawks

So far biggest disappointment (team wise) - Jazz, Lakers and Nets had some key injuries.

So far the player that has surprised me the most in the playoffs - Devin Booker - he's been great! Trae Young is a close 2nd.

So far the biggest disappointment (player wise) - Ben Simmons! Just awful in Game 7 vs the Hawks.

Best player in the playoffs so far IMO has been Giannis.

-3Peat signing off for now after putting in my work/kicking out big time knowledge for the day for June 21st, 2021. I feel like this may be the post I have ever made, I thought this through for hours analyzing everything

[lakerevolution]

The times, they are a-changin'. The league is in great hands (and feet, and other body parts) with all the fresh new talent spread out amongst the franchises - even those that didn't qualify for the playoffs. Younger players are not in fear of the veterans, no matter how many former MVPs or titles are in the mix. The three-pointers are still irksome, but it's a major part of the game now no matter if you're 6'1" or 7'2". Another sea-change that might slide under the radar is that the Sixers, Suns, Clippers and Hawks all have black head coaches, and the 2021 NBA Executive of the Year is 40-year old James Jones, a former NBA standout who played with the Pacers, Suns, Blazers, Heat and Cavs and won three NBA championships and a 3-point shooting contest in 2011.

With a healthy Chris Paul, I think the Suns can win it all . . but there's no denying that the Clippers and Bucks can heat up at any time with their wings and perimeter play. Atlanta has been the surprise of the playoffs, and they will give the Bucks all they can handle. I'm not mad at the teams or level of competition in this year's Final Four - I only hope that Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard would have been able to compete against each other in every game of the WCF. Kawhi's injury is serious, and even if he returns he'll be less than himself and may be risking a complete tear of his ACL, so that is a major factor for a team that is the first in NBA history to come back from down 0-2 in two consecutive series. It's truly an "any given night" situation for all four teams remaining.

[3Peatkb24]

The times, they are a-changin'. The league is in great hands (and feet, and other body parts) with all the fresh new talent spread out amongst the franchises - even those that didn't qualify for the playoffs. Younger players are not in fear of the veterans, no matter how many former MVPs or titles are in the mix. The three-pointers are still irksome, but it's a major part of the game now no matter if you're 6'1" or 7'2". Another sea-change that might slide under the radar is that the Sixers, Suns, Clippers and Hawks all have black head coaches, and the 2021 NBA Executive of the Year is 40-year old James Jones, a former NBA standout who played with the Pacers, Suns, Blazers, Heat and Cavs and won three NBA championships and a 3-point shooting contest in 2011.

With a healthy Chris Paul, I think the Suns can win it all . . but there's no denying that the Clippers and Bucks can heat up at any time with their wings and perimeter play. Atlanta has been the surprise of the playoffs, and they will give the Bucks all they can handle. I'm not mad at the teams or level of competition in this year's Final Four - I only hope that Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard would have been able to compete against each other in every game of the WCF. Kawhi's injury is serious, and even if he returns he'll be less than himself and may be risking a complete tear of his ACL, so that is a major factor for a team that is the first in NBA history to come back from down 0-2 in two consecutive series. It's truly an "any given night" situation for all four teams remaining.

Best coach in the league is Monty Williams IMO and the Pacers getting rid of Nate McMillan was a huge blunder. He wasn't the Pacers problem and I even told people here in Indy he wasn't. The Pacers have an owner that is cheap, he will never go over the luxury tax or do what is necessary to bring SuperStars to Indianapolis. He is the problem, Pacers can't keep great players when they do get them like PG and Oladipo. That is why the Pacers will never win a NBA Championship. We are in good hands with the NBA today, see my post above as we have plenty of talented and great players today. I have actually enjoyed watching the Semi Finals in both conferences. A lot of 3's but a lot of good basketball. I love Embiid's game inside as well, same for Giannis.

[3Peatkb24]

Suns at the buzzer . PG misses 2 FT's at the end and Ayton wins it on an alley-oop of all things. Suns lead 2-0 in the best of 7. I think the Clippers luck just ran out, if they come back from 0-2 again than Ty Lue deserves the key to the city of LA . Without Leonard, good luck now.

[3Peatkb24]

Bucks won big tonight, I don't see that going past 6 games. The Hawks have had a great season for their standards though but the Bucks are just better. Series is at 1-1 as of now. Suns lost last night, of course they weren't going to sweep the Clippers. They are still in control of things up 2-1 and have HCA.

[3Peatkb24]

Great job Suns! Suns now up 3-1 as they win 84-80. Clippers have been a pain in the ass winning games with Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, and Terrance Mann playing out their ass. 1 more win and CP3 will make the Finals for the 1st time. Clippers luck just went