NBA 2023-24 Thread

[Headache in a Suitcase]

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The whole culture of gambling within sports is really gross. A lot of gambling companies over here have pivoted to making content (and a lot of their content I find quite funny, too) because their overt gambling ads were starting to be looked down upon.

I enjoy having a punt here and there but the culture is gross and it's starting to change here in Australia, a lot more people are anti-it now. I don't mind it at all being legal, because I like to bet here and there, but the advertising of it I think should be completely banned. We've completely banned any advertising of cigarettes over here - even the individual packs of smokes here now all have generic, boring branding dominated by warnings, and I'd like to see the same for gambling.

But Headache, I hope you also believe that drugs should be legalised too... if we're pro harm minimisation and surfacing shady stuff into the light.

we're inching a bit too far into FYM territory here... but i would say there's a difference between legalizing something that is fine for most people but harmful for some, vs. legalizing something that is harmful to anyone who takes it.

not everything is black and white, 1s and 0s. there are shades of gray here.

i am definetly in favor of legalization of marijuana. harder drugs - yea, i don't think letting people take crystal meth legally is the way to a more fair and equitable society - but happy to discuss it further in FYM if you care to create a thread.

 

[mikal]

Congrats to the Lakers for winning a regular season game!

 

[Hewson]

They're #9!
They're #9!
They're #9!

 

[mikal]

When you think about it, it begs the question, "why don't we talk about play in teams more?"

 

[cobl04]

A 41-point double double with nine 3s and a $5 million contract on offer from Ice Cube. Changing the narrative.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

if the raptors lose out - and the NBA doesn't schedule Toronto vs. Detroit as the 7th game of the season next year, i'm going to be very disappointed.

 

[Hewson]

What is the significance of 7th game of the season?

 

[DaveC]

that would be the game that the raptors would take over the "longest losing streak ever" that the pistons set earlier this year.

it's not gonna happen though. toronto might lose out the rest of this season because there's a lot of injuries/missed games and they're actively trying to tank now, but they won't start next season 0-6 with a fully healthy team.

 

[Hewson]

that would be the game that the raptors would take over the "longest losing streak ever" that the pistons set earlier this year.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

but they won't start next season 0-6 with a fully healthy team.

They just might, they just might

 

[gump]

Ugh, Randle is done for the season.

Of course we can't have nice things.

Fuck the Heat.

 

[mikal]

Ugh, Randle is done for the season.

Of course we can't have nice things.

Fuck the Heat.

Yeah seriously fuck the heat. They injured Giannis last year in round 1 too.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Bucks lost back to back games to the Wizards and Grizzlies.

 

[mikal]

Bucks lost back to back games to the Wizards and Grizzlies.

Yeah this season and playoffs can end anytime. I've mailed it in as a fan already but hopeful they can get things right for next season.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

this is nba twitter code for "he sucks but we don't want to piss off lebron"

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Steph with the elite level troll job last night...

 

[gump]

A lot of silence from the Doc Rivers is awful crowd

Sheesh.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Sheesh.

yeaaaa about that

i still don't necessarily think it's doc's fault. the roster is poorly constructed. they weren't going to do anything regardless with three guards who can't defend.

but, uh, yea.

 

[mikal]

yeaaaa about that

i still don't necessarily think it's doc's fault. the roster is poorly constructed. they weren't going to do anything regardless with three guards who can't defend.

but, uh, yea.

And the recent injuries. I'm actually fine with Doc being coach next year just to keep some continuity.

 

[gump]

they weren't going to do anything regardless with three guards who can't defend.

Relatedly, Jalen Brunson points against the Bucks this season: 45, 41, 36, 38, 43.

 

[iron yuppie]

Nobody seems to want the 2 seed in the East.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

And the recent injuries. I'm actually fine with Doc being coach next year just to keep some continuity.

despite the record - it was clear that they had issues under Adrian Griffin - defensively and with the locker room, specifically GIannis. i mean the whole team danced during pregame intros the day after he was fired. something wasn't working.

any time you take over a new team and try to institute your own ideas to fix whatever was broken? yea, things aren't going to be peachy at first. and they weren't. but then they turned around and things looked great.

i get that they've had injuries - but shit nobody's been bitten more by the injury bug than the Knicks and they're still improving.

i still put the blame on the roster. putting together three guards who can't, well, guard is not goin to work. and not making sure that holiday was sent to a third team out west was an absolute bonehead of a mistake.

that said... they're still sitting in the 2 seed. which is crazy. but doc has a losing record with the bucks - and this far in? ehhh jeez that's a problem.

alas - i think you're right that doc deserves to come back and work from scratch, with his own staff.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Nobody seems to want the 2 seed in the East.

the seeding battles are crazy in both conferences... 9/10 in the east aside.

(side note - fix the play in... every team .500 or better makes the play in. any team with a less than .500 record does not. tell chicago and atlanta to GTFO)

if you're the 2 in the east you're probably getting Philly in the first round. seems like the ideal spot to be in is the 3 - where you can both avoid boston until the ECF and avoid Milwaukee/Philly until the semis.

out west? sheesh... obviously you want to avoid Denver if possible - but with the top 3 seeds still in flux it's damn near impossible to even try and play for seeding.

but if you end up in the 7/8 game and Denver is the 2 seed... are you better off winning? or are you better off losing and taking your chances in the second play in game to try and get the 8 seed and either minnesota or OKC?

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

7 days to go...

remaining strength of schedule - strongest to weakest

1. Milwaukee .663
2. Washington .654
3. Phoenix .638
4. Charlotte .613
5. Utah .593
6. Orlando .562
7. Portland .551
8. New York .534
9. Sacramento .532
10. Memphis .522
11. Toronto .516
12. Atlanta .514
13. Clippers .510
14. Oklahoma City .510
15. Lakers .496
16. New Orleans .492
17. Brooklyn .489
18. Minnesota .482
19. Detroit .473
20. San Antonio .471
21. Houston .468
22. Indiana .455
23. Golden State .450
24. Miami .429
25. Denver .413
26. Dallas .410
27. Boston .406
28. Cleveland .387
29. Chicago .383
30. Philadelphia .383


Milwaukee and Phoenix have especially brutal schedules... Milwaukee faces Boston, OKC and Orlando (twice). Phoenix has Minnesota, the Clippers twice, and Sacramento.

NBA's going to come out firing post NCAA tourney

key head to head seeding games left

Milwaukee vs Orlando twice
Phoenix vs. Sacramento
New Orleans vs Sacramento
New Orleans vs. Lakers
New Orleans vs. Golden State
Golden State vs. Lakers
Denver vs. Minnesota
Indiana vs. Cleveland

 

[U2inUtah]

7 days to go...

remaining strength of schedule - strongest to weakest

1. Milwaukee .663
2. Washington .654
3. Phoenix .638
4. Charlotte .613
5. Utah .593

Hey at least we’re 5th in…something.

It’s been a terrible season and this team is not much fun to watch. A projected weak upcoming draft isn’t helping.

 

[gump]

Since it doesn't look like Philly will likely finish in the 8th seed, I want to see a Boston (1) vs Miami (8) and Bucks (2) vs Philly (7) first round.

Though I think the Bucks could fall from #2 pretty easily. They have Orlando twice, OKC and Boston.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

The thing that's most disturbing about Milwaukee isn't that they lost 4 in a row here down the stretch.

The most disturbing thing is that three of them came against Washington, Memphis and Toronto.

 

[cobl04]

Hey at least we’re 5th in…something.

It’s been a terrible season and this team is not much fun to watch. A projected weak upcoming draft isn’t helping.

It's wild to me how fast time flies. It feels like a month ago since I watched opening night with you, and a whole regular season has happened since. I thought the Jazz would do worse than they did, though.

Anyway, very excited about the Beam's chances in these playoffs. I think we win the West, if not the title.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]