College (and NBA) Hoops

[Foe]

Anyone interested in this?

I started watching some NCAA basketball last year because it's super entertaining. There's enough mistakes so it's competitive for the most part and college sport in general is great. Last year duke and Villanova were quality to watch. All those good guys have fucked off to the NBA though.

Going to follow Kansas this year I think. My cousin went to the same school as Quentin Grimes and said he was a monster when he played with him / watched him. He seems legit, 21 points in his first game against Michigan state.

Who's you team? Who should I follow? Is anyone going to be as good as di Vincenzo was in the natty and most importantly, where the fuck is Allie LaCofce hiding? :wub:

[7om]

I became a college ball fan after moving to the US and ended up preferring it to the NBA. I also got quite lucky as my next door neighbor was a former NCAA coach and his son was 6'9 and got a D1 scholarship.

As for this year it's all about Zion Williamson. The kid looks like an absolute fucking freak of nature so I'd love to see him lead Duke all the way.

[Pepe]

The Great Wall down?

[phonics]

I hate college basketball, it's like watching FIBA. The only good thing is they actually call travels.

Also it's lame because Duke always get the best players even though they're DEFINITELY NOT PAYING THEM SEVERAL HUNDRED GRAND A YEAR.

Although the NBA is also pretty lame this year because everyone I like is so bad. Except Giannis obviously.

[7om]

I hate college basketball, it's like watching FIBA. The only good thing is they actually call travels.

Also it's lame because Duke always get the best players even though they're DEFINITELY NOT PAYING THEM SEVERAL HUNDRED GRAND A YEAR.

Although the NBA is also pretty lame this year because everyone I like is so bad. Except Giannis obviously.

I've grown to dislike the NBA style now. And that is one pass to the star player, run an isolation and either a drive or contested jump shot. That wears thin pretty fast unless you're Steph Curry lobbing them in from half court.

In college games they actually play team basketball to make up for the comparative lack of skill and I personally find that more pleasing to watch.

[phonics]

You should watch Boston or the Sixers in that case.

[Foe]

I became a college ball fan after moving to the US and ended up preferring it to the NBA. I also got quite lucky as my next door neighbor was a former NCAA coach and his son was 6'9 and got a D1 scholarship.

As for this year it's all about Zion Williamson. The kid looks like an absolute fucking freak of nature so I'd love to see him lead Duke all the way.

Heard a lot about him and have the duke Kentucky game recorded so will give that a watch tonight.

Marvin bagley III last year was great, same with the Michigan boy Werner so hopefully some good guys like that appear this year.

Really liked the look of the other Kansas freshman Dotson too. Proper nippy little fucker.

[7om]

Joel Embiid needs to learn to keep his mouth shut until he actually starts winning. Sick of him. phonics

[bruhnaldo]

G
o

c
a
n
e
s
!

[bruhnaldo]

holy shit the no caps thing is absurd.

[Pleb]

I hear March Madness is pure chaos.

[Dan]

Anyone been watching March Madness? After spending the NFL offseason last year getting into baseball, this year I'm trying to understand basketball, so I've been catching odd bits of the NCAA tournament. Auburn/Kentucky just finished & was pretty good, now we have Duke/Michigan State in the last Elite 8 game.

Any pointers on things that'd help me pick up the game?

[Pepe]

Baskets from behind the semi-circular line are worth three points.

[Foe]

Duke have a dude called Zion Williamson (#1) who's an absolute monster. They've also got a bunch of good dude. Rj Barrett also good.

I've watched some of this, not a lot. I like duke. Michigan state have one superstar though. Wee guard who always wears a headband.

Zion will be #1 pick in NBA draft though. There's lots of missed shots...

[John]

Is Zion still injured after that shoe ripping cost Nike a fortune, or was the severity of the injury just blown well out of proportion because of the circumstances?

[Dan]

Baskets from behind the semi-circular line are worth three points.

Okay, I'm not starting from that far back :D

I know who Zion is too (largely because every NFL draft scout throws out a 'WOW ZION WOULD BE GREAT IN THE NFL' tweet every time Duke play), but I don't really get stuff like the differences between positions or the strategy & play calling side of things. It all just looks like dude running around randomly until someone takes a shot.

[Dan]

Duke have a dude called Zion Williamson (#1) who's an absolute monster. They've also got a bunch of good dude. Rj Barrett also good.

I've watched some of this, not a lot. I like duke. Michigan state have one superstar though. Wee guard who always wears a headband.

Zion will be #1 pick in NBA draft though. There's lots of missed shots...

Yep, there he is :D

[Lewis]

I end up in the American sports Guardian section when I'm bored off my tits at work, and this Tacko Fall freak who can't actually play basketball sounds like a much more interesting prospect than exploding shoes boy.

[Pepe]

Big man is complete shit. Works in college because he can stand in front of the hoop doing nothing and be effective. That wouldn't work in the NBA with the 3-second rule.

[igor_balis]

Anyone seen Hoop Dreams?

[7om]

Anyone seen Hoop Dreams?

I still maintain after all these years it's one of the best documentaries ever made. So much more than basketball.

[Pen]

I agree with Tom. It’s the best sports documentary there is.

[niko_cee]

Robot Mert is coming for you (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/basketball/47776712)

[Lewis]

Is that impressive? I suppose the human-like throwing action is difficult to replicate, but hitting a fixed target in a stable atmosphere at close range seems like it should be an easy thing for a robot.

[Pepe]

Agreed, that seems like the easiest thing for a robot to do.

[Pepe]

Which reminds me, I just came back from the supermarket and there was a "robot" rolling about. Not sure what it was supposed to do, but the little kids were loving it. Probably taking some poor people's jobs.

[bruhnaldo]

It all just looks like dude running around randomly until someone takes a shot.

Generally the guy who brings the ball up the court is called the "point guard". He's kind've like the "engine" of the team. He'll bring the ball up the court and set the play in motion.

These players can be a lot smaller than others and it doesn't make as much of a difference. Usually they become very crafty when it comes to scoring close to the basket around the bigger, less agile players... but most of the time they don't need to do so to be effective... this would be like Chris Paul, Kemba Walker, or Steph Curry.

Next you'd have a shooting guard. Your shooting guard can also bring the ball up the court and start the play but generally a shooting guard is going to be, as the name says, the best pure shooter of the ball on your team. This is your Dwyane Wade, your Kobe Bryant, your Michael Jordan types.

These two "guards" don't need as much size as the forwards do because of their role. The shooting guard will generally be the one who is running around screens trying to get themselves open for a clear shot at the hoop. This isn't always necessarily true, but in the spirit of the game that's the idea.

This is an example of screen or "a pick":
http://upl.stack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/13140155/SOFT-HEDGE.gif

http://upl.stack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/13140153/BLITZ.gif

Now in these instances, one of the forwards stepped out from inside the 3-point circle to help the point guard create some space to start the play/set. All of these motions are part of the designed play.

Of course, not every guard, especially at the highest level, fits neatly into these categories. For example, Steph Curry is a heavy shooter but he's a "point guard" because he generally starts and runs the offense. James Harden is almost a hybrid shooting/point guard in the sense he can be tasked with running the offense but he also has Chris Paul on his team that can do the same thing.

Your point guard, generally, is your facilitator. Your shooting guard is the one being facilitated to. Not every time, there's obviously plays set up for the forwards and center as well, but this is again just the GENERAL idea.

Let's talk about these forwards.

Small forward can generally have a few different jobs. A lot of times, these players are also good shooters but also pretty good defenders as they generally are much taller and lengthier (in terms of wingspan) than guards but smaller and more agile than Power Forwards and Centers (who we'll get to next).

Small forwards will usually be tasked with playing defense on the other team's best shooter (if they're the more agile type) because of the advantages created by their wingspan etc. (Kawhi Leonard, for example).

They also can generally be relied on to attack the rim off the dribble (i.e. take it from outside and drive the ball inside at the defense) and score points at the rim again due to their size (these are your Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony types).

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQxO0VlZ3DUoEmeVBrLvOT0O1FNIOmW9 8lpUsIq7AXO4qwa0rsk

Power forward on the other hand has kinda changed a lot in the passed decade.

Used to be a position reserved more for a very tall player who was maybe a little more agile than the center but not as agile as the Small Forward that can play hard-nosed defense against other big men down low, rebound the basketball on a miss, etc.

Recently, though, as the game has started becoming more fast paced and athletic.. your Power Forward is also tasked with setting screens at the top of the key (the very top of the circle), sliding into open space, and making mid-range and long-range shots.

A great example of this type of player is Chris Bosh. Bosh is 7 foot tall, but was a bit more agile and lanky than a traditional big man center. Bosh was also a very good shooter, so in his Miami Heat days we played him a little more outside of the paint (the area directly under the basket) and more around the 3 point line.

The idea of this is to create spacing for your "slasher" player (like the Small Forward I described that cuts to the lane) to get to the basket and score, but also puts another body outside that can help set screens/picks for the guards to run around and get themselves free with.

This brings me back to the first gif:
http://upl.stack.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/13140155/SOFT-HEDGE.gif

See how he slides into open space and takes the open shot? Perfect play that is almost unguardable. You either choose to follow the ball, which leaves the big man open, or you follow the big man and leave the guard open.

Of course, you still have your typical Center, but in a lot of instances these days a Center is almost a glorified Power Forward and their roles can be interchanged depending on what you have on your roster.

A Center will be more in the paint, waiting to receive a pass down low, and attempt to strongarm their way to the basket. Think Shaq.

I highly doubt you read any of this shit but it's helped me kill time at work and that's all I'm here for really.

[mugbull]

Potentially the longest non-WDYTOE OC in TTH history

[Jimmy Floyd]

Every team sport has the same cast of characters. Conductors, brutes, marksmen and worker bees. You can pretty much fit anyone from any team sport I can think of into one of those categories.

[mugbull]

Same with life. Conductors - politicians, managers, lawyers. Brutes - army, police, bouncers. Marksmen - engineers, craftsmen, doctors. Worker bees - unskilled labor, most services, serfs

[phonics]

Quite, if you want to descend into genericisms it's easy, but the beauty of basketball is that there's few enough players on a court to breakout from there via your personality. Charles Barkley was a shooter because he would elbow the guy defending him in the head to get the space he needed to drop a two. Kevin Garnett was a shooter because he'd be the one elbowed in the head and still score for the And-One and then he'd call you a bitch and make fun of your children.

[mugbull]

And yet almost all the players have to be outlandishly tall. Even in this “age of short ballers”

[phonics]

And yet almost all the players have to be outlandishly tall. Even in this “age of short ballers”

IMO, the problem with Basketball is that everyone (including the 6'9" fuckers) are too good at 3's and there are too many games so no-one plays defense. LeBron was hitting huge numbers while doing shit like this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEoORUy-8eI

That second one is disgusting.

[Pepe]

The regular season isn't worth watching. Maybe the last two minutes of a few matches. Otherwise, just ignore the sport exists until the playoffs begin.

[bruhnaldo]

I would disagree but it depends on your level of interest in the sport itself.

I used to get League Pass every year to supplement my fantasy basketball team and you'd be surprised how entertained you can be by random basketball games.

Now yea, a lot of times the defensive intensity doesn't ramp up until the last 5 minutes, but I think a lot of sports are like that.

[Giggles]

Why is there such a big thing made of this every year? Seems bigger than any pro sport and even people who don't like basketball are all over it. Is it because they find knockout tournaments a novelty?

[bruhnaldo]

For us it's like one of those weirdo traditions that people have cause most folks will fill out a "bracket" and have "tourney challenges".

Random people will fill it out based on "which mascot they like better!" or "which jersey color scheme is the best!"

Then people who really follow college ball will do it based on their KNOWLEDGE!

So then it's really funny to see who wins, especially if it's some random person who doesn't care about college basketball.

Also, all of our other sports are completed by a "best of" series of games. The novelty of a one-off knockout is exciting an often provides a lot of interesting upsets and "Cinderella" stories.

[bruhnaldo]

This year, because the Final Four is made up almost entirely of non-traditional team teams, it's more likely for example some random woman in accounting who went to Texas Tech is going to win the "office tourney challenge" and that's just hilarious bantz for a solid week and, if they do a money pool, a nice little payoff for her that she can have bragging rights for all year.

It's stuff like that more than anything.

PLUS, like I alluded to, most people will cheer for their colleges even if they don't give a fuck about the sport.

[phonics]

Why is there such a big thing made of this every year? Seems bigger than any pro sport and even people who don't like basketball are all over it. Is it because they find knockout tournaments a novelty?

Americans seem to have an obsession with where they went to uni.

[Giggles]

I suppose it's like all those office draws during a soccer world cup where only 3 of 25 people watch the sport. Still though, the college version of basketball is an odd one.

Is there loads of teams or something?

[Giggles]

Americans seem to have an obsession with where they went to uni.

But the general public don't go as crazy for anything to do with their college than they go for these playoffs

[bruhnaldo]

There are 300+ Division 1 teams. They're divided into conferences, sure, but basically any team can win the tournament hypothetically.

In that sense it's kinda like the Champions League, though, in the sense that bigger and better conferences get more "bids" to the 64 team tournament than smaller ones.

Every now and then you get a Iceland, for example, and that makes for a lot of interesting stories.

For example, last year the "Cinderella"/Iceland type team had a 98 year old woman who became the "Belle of the Ball":

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/mar/20/sister-jean-loyola-chicago-ncaa-tournament-nun

[bruhnaldo]

But the general public don't go as crazy for anything to do with their college than they go for these playoffs

Football is a lot bigger than basketball in general tbh cause almost every game is like a playoff in the sense if you lose once/twice you're basically out of the title race.

IMHO most people don't care as much about the outcome of the tournament (unless their team/school is directly involved) than they do the stories that lead up to it, whereas in football it's much different.

[Pepe]

Why is there such a big thing made of this every year? Seems bigger than any pro sport and even people who don't like basketball are all over it. Is it because they find knockout tournaments a novelty?

Marketing. A lot of it.

[Foe]

Anyone watch the final four?

I've only watched the first game, the auburn v Virginia game and it was really good.

Final is tomorrow (Monday) night too. So get it recorded. Last year the boy di Vincenzo from villanova went wild, scored loads, for MVP and ultimately a first round draft pick out of it (mid 20s I think?).

[Dan]

Yep, watched most of the first game last night then fell asleep, but watched the rest & the second game today. College atmospheres are amazing for games like these. That Auburn/Virginia finish :drool:

Got the championship game recorded too, so I'll probably try to watch that after work on Tuesday.

[Foe]

Same. I really don't care that much for NBA, and march madness sort of passes me by in most part because there's soooo many games. Once it gets down to like the elite 8 though it gets really, really good!

Matt mooney was so good for Texas tech. Just nailing everything.

[Dan]

How does the draft work in the NBA? Don’t you get randomers from all over the world rather than just NCAA declarations?

[phonics]

You declare for the draft, iirc literally anyone can but it costs money so people don't just put themselves in for lols.

[bruhnaldo]

Exactly. The teams that don't make the playoffs are put into a "draft lottery" in which based on final standing..worst record in the league has the highest chance of the first pick. The odds go down as the records get better.

They then pull teams at "random" and set the draft order that way.

[Dan]

Anyone watch the final four?

I've only watched the first game, the auburn v Virginia game and it was really good.

Final is tomorrow (Monday) night too. So get it recorded. Last year the boy di Vincenzo from villanova went wild, scored loads, for MVP and ultimately a first round draft pick out of it (mid 20s I think?).

Watched it yet?

[Foe]

Yeah, I watched the tail end of it last night.

a shame for Texas tech because their key players didn't really perform and yet it still went to OT. Moretti played really well but the main guy culver looked like a deer in headlights trying to hard to shine.

Virginia have some damn good shooters though in guy, Jerome and hunter.



What did you make of it?

[ItalAussie]

Virginia winning was a nice story, even if it was a number one seed streeting the field while the main competition fell over themselves trying to get there.

[phonics]

It's Game 7 of Nuggets - Spurs atm. Not the most glamorous but knockout anything is always good.

http://bfst.to/watch/nba-5.php

[ItalAussie]

Second round has been pretty outstanding so far. I can't decide if I despise Houston, or if I want them to win the West.

I'm firmly on Team Raptors for the title though, as unlikely as it is.

[phonics]

Fuck the Raptors. I don't want Drake to be happy.

[ItalAussie]

Solid argument, but it would also be fun to see Canada take the trophy up north. I wouldn't be too sad if Milwaukee pulled something off though - the Greek Freak is solid entertainment.

It's all pretty moot though - It's hard to imagine it not being the Warriors, even given the current precarious state of their series.

[Pepe]

I have tried watching some games but the amount of commercials makes it impossible. American sports are a disgrace.

[phonics]

Just watch the final quarter.

[Pepe]

Even then. The game is stopped way too frequently.

[mugbull]

Basketball is the least disgraceful of them

[Shindig]

I have tried watching some games but the amount of commercials makes it impossible. American sports are a disgrace.

I couldn't believe it when I was other there. It's relentless, to the point where you will miss shit due to commercials.

[7om]

I have tried watching some games but the amount of commercials makes it impossible. American sports are a disgrace.

You know it's gone to complete shit when we now have 'media timeouts'. Fuck off.

[Pepe]

Exactly. Fair enough if a team calls a timeout and you throw some ads in there in the meantime, but breaks specifically for commercials? That shit's fucked up.

[Shindig]

And there's in-game ads all over the graphics. It's like they're trying to crowbar the sport in off the back of advertising, rather than the other way around.

[bruhnaldo]

Yea that shit is really annoying, especially considering it's basically every 4 minutes of actual court time they do it.

[7om]

Massive lol at Kyrie Irving. The guy bails out of Cleveland because he wants to be the unequivocal leader of a title-chasing team and plays like a complete pleb when it comes to crunch time. Boston need to push the reset button on this group now. Rebuild around Tatum and Jaylen Brown and clear out Kyrie and Hayward.

[Dan]

Pelicans win the Zion lottery :drool: Lakers jump up to 4, with the Knicks at 3 & the Grizzlies at 2. Warriors won game 1 against Portland as well.

Also, we’re not gonna talk about that Kawhi buzzer beater?

[phonics]

Cousins signed a one year deal for 5+ million dollars and spent the season mostly injured. Came back in the playoffs and missed every important shot he had.

[Panda Bear]

Raptors. :cool:

[niko_cee]

Was it for all of Canada?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Was it for all of Canada?

It was for Drake.

[Gray Fox]

The curse is broken.

[Lewis]

I end up in the American sports Guardian section when I'm bored off my tits at work

Despite not watching a single second of it (or any basketball ever), I ended up weirdly invested in wanting Toronto to win. Is there any chance of them winning it again? If so, I might buy a vest and start referring to them as 'we'.

[phonics]

Nah their star player is off to LA next season.

[Pepe]

Despite not watching a single second of it (or any basketball ever), I ended up weirdly invested in wanting Toronto to win. Is there any chance of them winning it again? If so, I might buy a vest and start referring to them as 'we'.

We The North mate, We The North.

[Pepe]

Cousins signed a one year deal for 5+ million dollars and spent the season mostly injured. Came back in the playoffs and missed every important shot he had.

Cousins played well throughout. Every other non-Curry/Thompson player was complete dogshit though.

[Lewis]

Fuck them then. We had a good run.

[7om]

I really enjoyed this Finals series, but just couldn't help but feel sorry for the Warriors in the end. They've lost two stars for probably the next 9-12 months who they either have to now let their contracts expire or sign them to sit out the season and pay ridiculous amounts of luxury tax for fuck all. Even if Klay and KD do come back they'll be right on the end of their prime years and Steph Curry will be 32/33. It's been an absolutely incredible run for them but I think we saw the end of the Warriors as we know them last night.

[Pepe]

I'm curious to see if anyone will bother with Durant now.

[Gray Fox]

Lakers trade for Anthony Davis for Ball, Ingram and Hart + 3 first round picks.

I don't watch NBA much but is this guy really worth 3 players + 3 first rounders?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I don't watch much but he's seriously injury prone too.

[7om]

Lakers trade for Anthony Davis for Ball, Ingram and Hart + 3 first round picks.

I don't watch NBA much but is this guy really worth 3 players + 3 first rounders?

The problem the Lakers have is Lebron's age. They need to win immediately and putting Davis with him will help that cause. Although in a few years they might be completely fucked.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Is Lonzo Ball that shit? Wasn't he the second pick just the other year or something?

[bruhnaldo]

Anthony Davis is one of the elite talents in the league so it makes sense.

Lonzo could be good but he's still got a ways to develop. Besides, the Pelicans will be very interesting to watch this season at least with Lonzo passing to Zion.

[ItalAussie]

Hard to pick who's going to be challenging for the title next season.

Warriors are probably out of it (for sad reasons really - I really feel sorry for both of the injured players, even if I wanted the Raptors to win the title). The Lakers are still a little thin, but they'll put a team around Davis and James. Houston are a one-man side, but a good man to have. The Raptors will challenge again if Kawhi stays, but you have to think they'll regress if he leaves. The Bucks looks solid - I'd have them as challenging. The 76ers are a little too long with the bookies for mine - worth a punt if you're looking for value. There's still some big player moves that could shake this all up though.

[Foe]

Did you watch the draft?

Quentin grimes had a mare at Kansas so opted to go back to college (and transfer) so my main interest was gone, but opted to watch anyway.

Your man Bol Bol looked raging.

[7om]

Hard to pick who's going to be challenging for the title next season.

Warriors are probably out of it (for sad reasons really - I really feel sorry for both of the injured players, even if I wanted the Raptors to win the title). The Lakers are still a little thin, but they'll put a team around Davis and James. Houston are a one-man side, but a good man to have. The Raptors will challenge again if Kawhi stays, but you have to think they'll regress if he leaves. The Bucks looks solid - I'd have them as challenging. The 76ers are a little too long with the bookies for mine - worth a punt if you're looking for value. There's still some big player moves that could shake this all up though.

Yeah, I was thinking this the other day. Next season really will be interesting as, for the first time in ages, there doesn't seem to be any team that is clearly dominant. If I had to put money on who is in the finals next year I'd plump for Denver - Milwaukee.

[Dan]

Sounds like Kawhi to the Clippers, who are also trading a thousand picks & a couple of players to OKC for Paul George

[ItalAussie]

Kawhi to the Clippers was always on the cards, but the Paul George thing came out of nowhere.

It's impressive that there were no leaks, given how leaky the NBA is in general. OKC have form on it though - there was nothing in the news before George moved there from the Pacers either.

[SincereTheRebel]

I dont watch basketball games at all, but Ive come across a very good youtube channel a few months ago that talks about the sport past and present and i actualy sit and watch his videos. They are well researched and put together. I should really start watching the games.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-lzgbV4DRw

[phonics]

I dont watch basketball games at all, but Ive come across a very good youtube channel a few months ago that talks about the sport past and present and i actualy sit and watch his videos. They are well researched and put together. I should really start watching the games.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-lzgbV4DRw

Basketball is a great sport because it's a team sport but small enough teams to allow individuals personality/playstyle to dictate the outcome.

If you're really interested try find a way to get the 'Dynasty Series' DVDs produced by the NBA. They're normally multiple discs that contain an overall storyline docu, an individual season or two, a couple of player specific docs and a best of. They're truly incredible. The Celtics and Sixers ones are incredible. I haven't seen the Lakers or Bulls ones.

Think you'd enjoy Bird v Johnson:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axbIoHqFaa8

[ItalAussie]

SB Nation are my go-to for Youtube basketball (and sometimes other sports as well). Their "Rewinder" series is great.

They also have "Weird Rules" and "Beef History" series which are pretty good, but Rewinder is the best. Also, wholly unrelated to those, they sometimes do long-form stuff which is a bit out there. "The Bob Emergency" is a two-part, 90 minute long-form video about the history of athletes named Bob. I cannot recommend it strongly enough, as ridiculous as it sounds.

[Dan]

Westbrook to the Rockets for Chris Paul, first rounders in 2024 & 2026, and pick swaps in 2021 & 2025

Chaos reigns in the NBA :drool:

[John]

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/basketball-star-banned-drug-test-pregnant-donell-cooper-fifa-chicago-nba-a9040196.html

Fantastic.

[Pepe]

That has to be the worst website I have ever seen.

[Dan]

Pelicans/Raptors & Lakers/Clippers to start the season :drool:

[John Arne]

USA 94-98 Australia :D

[ItalAussie]

USA 94-98 Australia :D

Patty Mills is so underrated.

[John Arne]

6 seconds left, Turkey 81-79 USA....

[John Arne]

Oh shiiiiit... US with 3 free throws...

[John Arne]

He made 2. 81-81. Overtime.

[John Arne]

Arse. Full-time US 93-92 Turkey.

[Pepe]

Wankers.

[bruhnaldo]

Lol you guys really wanted to see our D team lose that bad? Sheesh.

[Pepe]

I don't even know what is happening, who is playing, or what they are playing for, but yes.

[bruhnaldo]

Respek

[ItalAussie]

I really like the Australian team here. They're kind of flying under the radar because they don't have Jokic or Giannis. But I think they have among the deepest squads, quality-wise (non-US, of course). Ingles, Bogut, Mills, Dellavadova, etc. aren't superstars, but they're all quite talented NBA role players. Compare that with Greece who has one superstar and a bunch of people most of us have never heard about. Serbia seem to have a good balance, of course.

[John Arne]

Patty Mills is so underrated.

Awesome performance against the French.

[SincereTheRebel]

Lists are always up for debate and I know little about the sport. But Kobe is top 5 dead or alive. Bleacher report is fucking wild putting him at 14

[niko_cee]

I know almost nothing of Basketball really, but can reel off names like Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to suggest that getting into the top 5 players of all time is a big ask for any modern player.

Shaq's ahead of him too.

[phonics]

Lists are always up for debate and I know little about the sport. But Kobe is top 5 dead or alive. Bleacher report is fucking wild putting him at 14

No chance.

[7om]

Lists are always up for debate and I know little about the sport. But Kobe is top 5 dead or alive. Bleacher report is fucking wild putting him at 14

That’s the Bleacher Report list? I’m sure they were trolling for attention. Steph Curry ahead of Olajuwon, David Robinson and Kobe. Scandalous.

[Bob Sacamano]

https://play.basketball-gm.com/

Decent little game with the NBA mod (https://www.reddit.com/r/BasketballGM/comments/eppbrg/20192020_nba_roster_v_12_teague_to_atl/)

[phonics]

Watching the Lakers play the Brooklyn nets gave me a migraine. It’s like watching one of those black and white videos that have been colorised.

[John Arne]

Saigon Heat have just picked Harvard's Christian Juzang with the first pick in the VBA 2020 draft.

[Baz]

Watch NBA for free: https://watch.nba.com/packages?ls=leaguepass:nbacom:packages:rd

[phonics]

7:30PM UK time

It's a winner gets the final playoff match tonight between Dame Lillard, the one team man, who is the Alan Iverson regen of our era and Ja Morant which is an excuse for me to post this video of him nearly jumping over 6'8" Kevin Love.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJvHeuCLJAs
@Yevrah (https://www.thethirdhalf.co.uk/member.php?u=66) get involved.

[Shindig]

I caught the Portland game last week and enjoyed it.

[phonics]

I caught the Portland game last week and enjoyed it.

Yeah that's Lillard, he has 161 points in his last three games.

1294110032452362242

which led to them double teaming the guy before he even crossed half court. It's insane how well he's shooting.

1294112527492747271

[7om]

He doesn't have the supporting cast unfortunately. I think it'll be Denver's year.

[phonics]

I'm watching this for the 8th time.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pjVixfXPFw

Every second clip is unreal.

[phonics]

Starting now

Edit: my bad. Coverage starts now. It’ll be about an hour.

[Bob Sacamano]

Sky not showing this is a bit strange

Edit: Okay they have it on their youtube channel.

[phonics]

Nbastreams.xyz

[phonics]

The Grizzlies are getting mauled.

[Bob Sacamano]

Bill Simmons constantly being dragged for anything he says is becoming really boring.

He should just retire from the Spotify money.

[phonics]

1294713544227905539

Good stuff.

[Shindig]

Another quality game. Portland just turned it on in the closing stages.

[phonics]

They should have been light years ahead. Whiteside, Gabriel and Melo were awful. Nurkic having a monster game saved them.

[phonics]

There's nothing more annoying than tuning into the end of a game hoping the underdog can come back and watching them miss 6 3's in a row.

[phonics]

Danny Green is fucking awful.

[phonics]

Melo is worse.

[John Arne]

What do we all think of 3x3?

I went to a tournament at the weekend, and I've watched a fair bit now - but, I just can't get into it. It relies too much on individual talent, and essentially zero tactics or game management.

[7om]

Relying on individual talent is the NBA in a nutshell.

[Yevrah]

Bucks vs the Celtics in game 7 at a reasonable time for UK audiences tonight (20:30). :drool:

[phonics]

http://1stream.top/game/MTExNzE4NjU5?sport=basketball

If you want it.

[Yevrah]

Lopez a proper beast so far.

[7om]

If Giannis could reliably shoot the 3 he’d be a human cheat code. It’s the only thing missing from his already amazing game.

[phonics]

If the Bucks could draw up one play that wasn't Giannis fighting for his life in the paint we might have a game on here.

[Yevrah]

I don't know much about basketball, but the Bucks' coach strikes me as a right chancer.

[phonics]

That you nailed that analysis so well kind of shows how clear it is.

[7om]

4-33 from 3. Fucking hell.

East looks shit now. Whoever comes out the West (Golden State) will win the Finals in 5.

[phonics]

1525952924861583360

[Yevrah]

Coming up to half time in this second match and Doncic has scored as many points as the entire Suns team.

[John Arne]

I really wanted to be a big fan of Luka, but he is quite a dislikeable player. I know it certainly isn't unique to him, but the screaming and constant complaining to the refs is exhausting.

[Adramelch]

He's toned it down considerably this season (but still worse than most), so hopefully he'll continue down that path. He's an incredible player to watch.

On a separate, but similar, note, the level of NBA officiating is fucking horrendous.

[John Arne]

European basketball is so good :drool:

1532043492670812161

[Manc]

Looks staged.

[John Arne]

USA and all the NBA players that Noah Lyles baited, lol.

[John Arne]

Draymond Green suspended indefinitely for his dig at Nurkic. He's such a fucking bellend.

1734795671364850097

[niko_cee]

This Zach Edey character looks decent. Got a bit of a mad look though.

[John Arne]

Yeah, his performances recently have been phenomenal. Having a 7'10" wingspan helps.

[niko_cee]

Surprised to see his draft potential is where it is, I guess the game has moved on since the last time I watched the final four when everyone shat their pants over Greg Odom and Kevin Durrant went 2nd. No longer a game for the big men when midgets are draining threes from everywhere. Feels like another data driven thing making a sport much less of an appealing spectacle.

[Adramelch]

It's not that it's not a game for the big men necessarily, it's just not a game for the traditional big men anymore. They also have to know how to shoot threes nowadays (see Jokic, Wembanyama and the likes). And yes sadly it does make for a more boring spectacle on average. Fast transition plays leading to 3s especially.

NBA's obsession with stats is also ridiculous. From Holmgren's wiki: "He also joined Michael Jordan as the only rookies in NBA history to put up at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block, and two three-pointers made in a game."

[Adramelch]

Anthony Edwards gives a Michael Jordan vibe the way he's currently playing. Very enjoyable to watch.

[John Arne]

This is quality trolling.

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[John Arne]

Big Tim Duncan doesn't give many interviews, so this is good.

1793710136315290063

[John Arne]

Mavs trading Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick is wild.

There must be something up with Kyrie and Doncic... otherwise, trading away your best young player (even if he is a bit of a twat) is crazy.

[Adramelch]

Must have been something brewing behind the scenes. Not only are they trading him away, but they are getting absolutely mugged on that deal you'd think.

[Pepe]

I don't follow the NBA and even I know that trading Doncic is madness.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Rapidly collapsing sport, can't afford to have a big star hidden away in (googles where the Mavericks are) Dallas.

[Adramelch]

Dallas is quite a big market to be fair. There's way bigger "offenders" by that logic (Giannis at Milwaukee, Shai at Oklahoma etc).

[Waffdon]

Rapidly collapsing sport, can't afford to have a big star hidden away in (googles where the Mavericks are) Dallas.

Aye not like Dallas is home to the most valuable sports team in the world

[Ben]

Fuck the Cowboys.

[phonics]

I’d just like to point out that the current Dallas GM was the Nike executive in charge of the infamous meeting where they tried to recruit Steph Curry and called him the wrong name multiple times.

The only trade I can compare it to in disaster levels has to be the clipper trade where they got Paul George in return for 2 all stars and like 7 picks.

You can tell they’ve fucked up because Dallas are now leaking that Luka Doncic is Yokozuna levels of fat.

[Gray Fox]

Fuck the Cowboys.

:cool:

Can someone explain this trade to me in NFL terms? I have tried many times but I just can't get basketball. Beyond the great footwear that is.

[phonics]

So imagine the Bills traded Josh Allen, the season they lost to Mahomes with 13 seconds left to go and got Von Miller and a first in return.

Basically Luka Doncic is the youngest player to ever achieve the individual awards he has. He was 5 First Team All Stars. He’s been in the league for 7 years. He’s top 5 in points and assists per game. They traded him for a Center that’s got great defensive stats when he plays but is so injury prone Charles Barkley refers to him as ‘street clothes’

The other part that makes it insane is that the Lakers have zero capital. Once LeBron retires they’re fucked. Now they have a star player for the next decade that can’t even be signed to a super max if they wanted to so can spend that money elsewhere.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Lakers magically acquire a huge 10 year star as ratings plummet, not a chance in hell that's coincidence.

[phonics]

NBA ratings are up this year and NFLs are down but we can’t have that get in the way of a narrative.

Here’s an idea for Adam Silver on how to actually get ratings up, start the games on time. It’s insane how many times I’ll check in for a game and it doesn’t start for another 20-40 minutes.

[SincereTheRebel]

I dont follow the NBA. Can you explain to me in football teams, what has happened here?

[phonics]

Imagine if Mo Salah was 40 but still good and Arsenal rang up Liverpool asking if they wanted Bukayo Saka in return for an injury prone Virgil Van Dijk and some training kits.

[Gray Fox]

This Doncic lad must be good because I've heard of him. Assuming this is true, this surely means either incompetent person trading him away, or he's trouble behind the scenes(too much to deal with any longer).

Sometimes in the NFL it makes sense to trade a star player away for a haul of picks because the team needs to rebuild and it gets the contract off the books. The terms of this don't sound anywhere near that though.

[Shindig]

Players can request a trade, right? Maybe Doncic has decided he's done enough time in Dallas?

[niko_cee]

Whilst I don't necessarily subscribe to the exact narrative, there is something more than a bit fishy in Dallas trading away their superstar to go and help Lebron's son be good in LA. Is Mark Cuban still the owner of Dallas?

Although it does seem to happen quite a lot in basketball [superstars getting traded about that is].

[Adramelch]

I'd be surprised if he hasn't requested it, but still they gave arguably the 2nd best player in the world at the moment, at 25 years of age at that, for an injury-prone 31 yo (great when he's fit mind you) and a first pick. That's what's mad here. They would have gotten way way more out of this deal had they shopped him around.

[phonics]

Players can request a trade, right? Maybe Doncic has decided he's done enough time in Dallas?

No, a trade request triggers a league wide notification. Dallas didn't contact anyone else to even find the highest bidder. The GM is claiming that Luka doesn't play defense and loves eating too much.

It's also financially detrimental to Luka to request a trade. You can only get a supermax contract if you're still with your original team that drafted you. Next year he would have been eligible for a 350 million a year guranteed contract. Now he can only sign for a maximum of 215.

[Pepe]

How many public restrooms is that Jimmy Floyd?

[John Arne]

Must have been something brewing behind the scenes. Not only are they trading him away, but they are getting absolutely mugged on that deal you'd think.

Yeah. The upcoming massive contract, and his lack of defense has been cited, which is kinda understandable, if the same guy didn't also drag you to the finals last year.

[Jimmy Floyd]

How many public restrooms is that Jimmy Floyd?

About 1,060 at quoted California prices. Places for the whole state to urinate, or a basketballer firing marginally more 3s than others. The choice is yours.

[Adramelch]

Whilst I don't necessarily subscribe to the exact narrative, there is something more than a bit fishy in Dallas trading away their superstar to go and help Lebron's son be good in LA. Is Mark Cuban still the owner of Dallas?

Although it does seem to happen quite a lot in basketball [superstars getting traded about that is].

Cuban is a minority owner nowadays. The new guys are some casino owners from Las Vegas, so there's a (somewhat) tinfoil hat theory that their ultimate goal is to relocate the franchise to Vegas and selling Doncic is a move towards that (similar things have happened in the past).

[Ben]

Is Dallas a big basketball market? I can't imagine a bunch of hicks going wild for hoops when there's NASCAR or baseball going on down the road.

[Adramelch]

They are not at New York or LA levels but they are pretty much the best of the rest along the likes of Chicago, Philadelphia and such.

[Yevrah]

I watched a bit of the GM's press conference with him attempting to explain why he had done this last night. Lol doesn't even cover it.

[John Arne]

'Answered' 3 questions then just legged it and left Kidd to talk to the journos :D

[Yevrah]

This is making me want to boot up NBA2K mind. :drool:

[Adramelch]

The best part was when he said something to the tune of "It was my decision but I have the coach's support" and the camera pans to Kidd, who looks dead inside.

The slow zoom is top notch work by the camera crew. :D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAbWKPLCirU

[John Arne]

Ha.

1886828073984909821

[John Arne]

How the fuck do you just embed the reply to a tweet, and not the original tweet...?