philofthefuture Posted March 28, 2018 Report Share Posted March 28, 2018 I've always liked the Heat because of Wade. Now that he's back I'm getting to enjoy watching some heat games again but I do respect the fact that he's not the star he once was and should lead the second unit etc. Still some good 'ol dwyane wade sometimes.Regarding championship, I doubt the Heat will ever make it soon until DWade retires. I'm predicting a rockets vs cavs finals, and I'm leaning towards rockets right now because of their team dynamics and Harden's extreme level of play, plus the warriors' injury problems are kinda a big issue right now. Raptors are on a roll right now but I've never seen them as a championship team. I don't know. They're extremely good but not great enough to get the championship. Or maybe I'm just biased because I think DeRozan is not so clutch of a team ace. By the way, anyone noticing the jazz right now? They're currently my bet for WCF instead of GSW. I like their team dynamics and the fact that Gobert is turning into one of the best centers (if not the best). Also Ricky Rubio, I've followed him since he was drafted by TWolves and they took the time to wait for him from Spain and how he ended up like a one dimensional PG with no scoring ability. Now he's evolved in the Jazz into a vital core player. Of course Donovan Mitchell, which is currently my bet for Rookie of the Year. He's evolved into a star in just 1 season, putting the team on is back on most crucial games. Expecting more from them in the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted March 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 So far i like the Rockets as well the most, but they rely a lot on the system and they have Paul, i think he always gets injured in the playoffs. A full strength GSW will beat them though, but that is the problem at the moment, they have a lot of injuries. Also, i am not sure about the Cav's reaching the finals this year, i think i have seem them lose more than win this year. I know Lebron will take it to another level in the playoffs, but they cannot defend at all, their defense has been pathetic at times as for Lebron i mean how much can the dude do that he is not already doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 So far i like the Rockets as well the most, but they rely a lot on the system and they have Paul, i think he always gets injured in the playoffs. A full strength GSW will beat them though, but that is the problem at the moment, they have a lot of injuries. Also, i am not sure about the Cav's reaching the finals this year, i think i have seem them lose more than win this year. I know Lebron will take it to another level in the playoffs, but they cannot defend at all, their defense has been pathetic at times as for Lebron i mean how much can the dude do that he is not already doing? Just curious. Who is your pick for the finals from East? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortfuse122829 Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I'm taking Cleveland to win the east unless Toronto can avoid a head to head match-up against them. They just can't win close games in that series because they go to ISO hero ball with Derozan and Lowry to close games and Lowry is miniature and Lebron can get the better of Derozan in those moments. I'd love to see the 76ers make the eastern conference finals this year and really set up their recruiting pitch to FA's this year. Even if we don't end up with Lebron I think we could still win the east signing two lesser guys like Avery Bradley and Caldwell-Pope and also retain Reddick. Or one of those two guys plus Danny Green. Throwing out a starting 5 of Simmons, Reddick, Covington, Saric and Embiid and coming off the bench with Fultz, Bradley, Green, Holmes + Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted March 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I am not sure who will make the finals, to be totally honest i was not watching much NBA since November and started to watch games the past week, so i cannot say much. I only watched the Raptors play one game the whole year, but Lowry always goes MIA in the playoffs, so i pretty much count them out. I am not so certain the Cavs will make it to the finals either, they are looking poor to me, i love how Lebron is playing but their whole team is average at best. I think without Lebron they would be a bottom 6-7 team or there abouts. But, i do have to say that i am not 100% certain GSW will win it this year, they have been unhealthy a lot and their bench is nowhere near what it was 2-3 years ago. I really like Houston, i love watching them play and they are on a really good run, so i think it is either them or GSW that will win it. I think it is a little too early to talk about who will win it though, we have to see how the playoff matchup's work out, that can also play a big role, we also need to see who is healthy or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I'm taking Cleveland to win the east unless Toronto can avoid a head to head match-up against them. They just can't win close games in that series because they go to ISO hero ball with Derozan and Lowry to close games and Lowry is miniature and Lebron can get the better of Derozan in those moments. I'd love to see the 76ers make the eastern conference finals this year and really set up their recruiting pitch to FA's this year. Even if we don't end up with Lebron I think we could still win the east signing two lesser guys like Avery Bradley and Caldwell-Pope and also retain Reddick. Or one of those two guys plus Danny Green. Throwing out a starting 5 of Simmons, Reddick, Covington, Saric and Embiid and coming off the bench with Fultz, Bradley, Green, Holmes + Actually that is a very good point. With a very young but reliable core, I think 76ers are going big anytime soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted March 29, 2018 Report Share Posted March 29, 2018 I am not sure who will make the finals, to be totally honest i was not watching much NBA since November and started to watch games the past week, so i cannot say much. I only watched the Raptors play one game the whole year, but Lowry always goes MIA in the playoffs, so i pretty much count them out. I am not so certain the Cavs will make it to the finals either, they are looking poor to me, i love how Lebron is playing but their whole team is average at best. I think without Lebron they would be a bottom 6-7 team or there abouts. But, i do have to say that i am not 100% certain GSW will win it this year, they have been unhealthy a lot and their bench is nowhere near what it was 2-3 years ago. I really like Houston, i love watching them play and they are on a really good run, so i think it is either them or GSW that will win it. I think it is a little too early to talk about who will win it though, we have to see how the playoff matchup's work out, that can also play a big role, we also need to see who is healthy or not. Cavs without LeBron? Haha I can't even imagine. Lebron's putting up probably the one of the best all around game in a season in history. He's at 27 9 9 if i'm not mistaken shooting at 55% from the field, 36% from deep. That is some insane numbers. With those numbers he gets around 60 wins when he was in cleveland and heat. Sadly the cavs roster is kinda hectic with Love's injury and all the trades not sure if they'll get playoff ready come game time. Anyway you're right. It's still the regular season and we haven't seen the special lineups and matchups that coaches will use. Really excited for the playoffs this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted March 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 Crap, Embiid got injured, he could miss part of the playoffs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted March 31, 2018 Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 Crap, Embiid got injured, he could miss part of the playoffs. Yes. Probably throughout the first round. So ironic that he collided with Fultz's shoulder. HAHAHA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted March 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2018 Yes. Probably throughout the first round. So ironic that he collided with Fultz's shoulder. HAHAHA There was so many people saying that Fultz will probably not have an impact on the 76ers, at least not this year. Well in the end he did have an impact, but not how some people where hoping to. Also, some people tell me that is was an unfortunate situation and that it was not his fault, that could be true to an extent but from my experience in playing basketball for 27 years, you are WAY more likely to get injured accidentally by an amateur or someone who has not played or does not play regular basketball than by someone who does it at a high level and is in game form. Also if you have a good look at the whole move it seems Embiid was trying to give him a hand off, Fultz came in very fast and hard, did not cut the corner properly and ended up hitting his own player. Obviously there was a lot of factors involved and it was unfortunate, but you cannot say that Fultz had nothing to do with the whole scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7bmoB9Jg0s I was hearing about them being a potential Easter finals outsider, the 76ers have a serious chance of getting KOed in the first round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted April 11, 2018 Report Share Posted April 11, 2018 The jazz are on the way to finish third! Hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortfuse122829 Posted April 12, 2018 Report Share Posted April 12, 2018 I think Embiid will be back during the first round at some point. The Jazz finishing third is more impressive to me than the 76ers doing it (though they actually finished 4th) which is why I hate to say it I think Donovan Mitchell is the rookie of the year. The part of me that leans towards Simmons is because he averages 4.5 more rebounds and assists per game than Mitchell and is our primary ball handler. But he's only about our 3rd scoring option and Mitchell is Utah's go to guy and he took them all the way to the 4th seed in the west? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted April 13, 2018 Report Share Posted April 13, 2018 I think Embiid will be back during the first round at some point. The Jazz finishing third is more impressive to me than the 76ers doing it (though they actually finished 4th) which is why I hate to say it I think Donovan Mitchell is the rookie of the year. The part of me that leans towards Simmons is because he averages 4.5 more rebounds and assists per game than Mitchell and is our primary ball handler. But he's only about our 3rd scoring option and Mitchell is Utah's go to guy and he took them all the way to the 4th seed in the west? exactly. that shift from rookie to super rookie. Mitchell's got my vote. But simmons is a sure all star in the coming years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted April 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2018 I watched Mitchell in the last game (i did not see him play much), the dude can score basically from anywhere, driving, fast break, from deep and his D is also very good for a rookie, he also has athletic ability. To me he is something similar to what Harden was in his first year, just Donovan plays a lot more and is the main option for his team, Harden was probably not even the 3rd option at that time, coming mostly off the bench. That said, the Blazers totally locked Donovan up, he went 6 from 23 shots, 1 from 8 from 3pt. It was not pretty at all. The big difference between him and Ben is that Mitchell is a scorer, Ben is a team player and it capable of doing more in more places. Even if Ben does not score he will still be useful and his scoring is very efficient. He knows he cannot shoot so he does not try (he has 12 3pt attempts the whole year, that is the average Mitchell has in 2 games!). When Mitchell shoots at a bad %, like last night, he is basically a non factor elsewhere. Ben is bigger, can defend all positions, passes, rebounds and blocks better and he is much better going to the rim. All in all i would take Ben over Mitchell any day. Ben does have to his disadvantage that technically he is not a rookie, i see that as a huge plus for him because he sat though a whole season, trained, got stronger and was part of an NBA team, that in itself is huge in my opinion and should be taken into consideration when voting. Mitchell is also the main option on his team, Ben is probably the 3rd options. In almost any other year Mitchell would win this, but i do not think that will be the case this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacman Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 I think Embiid will be back during the first round at some point. The Jazz finishing third is more impressive to me than the 76ers doing it (though they actually finished 4th) which is why I hate to say it I think Donovan Mitchell is the rookie of the year. The part of me that leans towards Simmons is because he averages 4.5 more rebounds and assists per game than Mitchell and is our primary ball handler. But he's only about our 3rd scoring option and Mitchell is Utah's go to guy and he took them all the way to the 4th seed in the west? What Mitchell did with the Jazz is pretty amazing, Simmons is the better overall player and has a far higher ceiling but Mitchell should win ROTY. I honestly thought the Jazz were a sure fire lottery team when Hayward left but Mitchell was having none of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacman Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 1st round predictions just for fun Warriors sweep spurs Thunder in 6 Trail Blazers in 5 Rockets in 6 Cavs sweep pacers Raptors sweep wizards 76ers in 5 Bucks in 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortfuse122829 Posted April 15, 2018 Report Share Posted April 15, 2018 Embiid says he has a good shot at being back by game 2 or 3. I would really love to see us make it all the way to the eastern conference finals. That's a hell of a free agent pitch for the off-season. Hey we have 2 young superstars, won 52 games made it 1 round from the finals and oh by the way heres 40 mil per year. Though my personal preference is we hold off 1 more year and go after Klay. I think he's the best fit for our team. Maybe give 1 year deals out again to Reddick and maybe Avery Bradley or guys in that 2nd tier of free agents until 2019 when Klay and Kawhi and a few others are set to be free agents Warriors sweep Rockets in 5 Pelicans in 7 Thunder in 6 Sixers in 5 Cavs sweep Raptors in 6 Bucks in 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted April 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2018 I see people predicted the Cavs to sweep, we already know that is not happening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affekonig Posted April 17, 2018 Report Share Posted April 17, 2018 Go Pacers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted April 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 I am somewhat surprised how good Boston are without their 2 best players. The Bucks are playing their whole team and had zero chance in the second game. I think if Hayward and Irving were playing they would easily be the top contenders for the East this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Affekonig Posted April 18, 2018 Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 I am somewhat surprised how good Boston are without their 2 best players. The Bucks are playing their whole team and had zero chance in the second game. I think if Hayward and Irving were playing they would easily be the top contenders for the East this year. I agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philofthefuture Posted April 18, 2018 Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 I agree I am somewhat surprised how good Boston are without their 2 best players. The Bucks are playing their whole team and had zero chance in the second game. I think if Hayward and Irving were playing they would easily be the top contenders for the East this year. Boston is like the Spurs couple of years ago. A team of role players and competitive spirit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted April 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 Boston is like the Spurs couple of years ago. A team of role players and competitive spirit I also love their coach, one of the best young coaches in the league by far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Posted April 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2018 Seems Leonard could be leaving the Spurs this off season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacman Posted April 19, 2018 Report Share Posted April 19, 2018 I also love their coach, one of the best young coaches in the league by far. Brad Stevens is fantastic, I've been a fan since that original Cinderella run from Butler. The man is very talented and when he gets a healthy Kyrie and Hayward back they might be the ones to end the GSW dynasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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