2024-25 NBA Thread

[pwaldo]

Both the Pacers and Thunder now up 3-1. Thunder will play game 5 at home while Indiana has to go back to New York. However, Indiana beat NY twice already at MSG, and they've been competitive every single game, so it wouldn't surprise me if they close it out on the road..

Home court advantage has virtually disappeared this season. You'd still like to be the higher seed but it really isn't all that important anymore. I know somebody suggested that fans have toned it down because they are afraid of being kicked out or banned by the NBA so you don't really have hostile home crowds anymore. Don't know if that is the reason or not but it is true that the fan hostility (not necessarily good) has somewhat gone away in basketball compared to other sports.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Thunder out there beating on dead Wolves, lol.

Minnesota desperately needs another ballhandler to make the next step. Watching guys like Naz Reid trying to put it on the floor tonight against the Thunder perimeter defense was embarrassing. They have no one with handles outside of Conley and Edwards.

This is another reason I'd like to see the Thunder match up with the Pacers. Haliburton has a phenomenal assist to turnover ratio and the Pacers as a team know how to move the ball. They don't iso and pout the game away as the Wolves often do, and they play more physical defense as well. I think they can make a much more competitive Finals with the Thunder than the Knicks could. Other than the Nuggets, the Pacers might be the only team to really give the Thunder a serious run in these playoffs.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Knicks did a great job putting the clamps on Hali tonight. I recall the Thunder doing similar in one of their regular season matchups.

[pwaldo]

TMinnesota desperately needs another ballhandler to make the next step. Watching guys like Naz Reid trying to put it on the floor tonight against the Thunder perimeter defense was embarrassing. They have no one with handles outside of Conley and Edwards.

You are 100% true on that.

Though I would still have liked to have seen what the Wolves and the Knicks could have accomplished this season wthout their trade. I know the Wolves excuse was a payroll cut so they would have made a trade with somebody else but I think they and the Knicks really didn't get much better and it kinda hurt both to have to get the team to gel together since they were injuried and didn't play all together that much. Before they just seemed like they had momentum and with the experience of playing together they could have gotten better but I guess we will never know now.

[WilyWestbrook0]

The Knicks do not have NBA Finals level defense. Watching KAT getting confused several times as to whether or not to contest a shot or drop back in coverage, watching them give no effort to get back in transition on D...yeah, Indiana has made them pay for that. Can't play such inept defense against a team with the offense of the Pacers. Also, love the defensive effort by Nembhard on Brunson tonight.

[WilyWestbrook0]

And Thibs is fired already because of course: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...oach-5-seasons

[pwaldo]

And Thibs is fired already because of course: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...oach-5-seasons

I now he may not be the answer for the team but does anybody including any Knicks fans think that if they had any other coach they would have done better this year? So what if you beat the Pacers and get spanked by the Thunder. They weren't winning against the Thunder so maybe some blame should be put on the GM for making 2 big trades that really didn't improve the team for the short term or long term.

[WilyWestbrook0]

I now he may not be the answer for the team but does anybody including any Knicks fans think that if they had any other coach they would have done better this year? So what if you beat the Pacers and get spanked by the Thunder. They weren't winning against the Thunder so maybe some blame should be put on the GM for making 2 big trades that really didn't improve the team for the short term or long term.

It's just one after another with coach firings this year. Nothing surprises me anymore. Wouldn't shock me if Carlisle or Daigneault got fired if their team loses, either. So yeah, I'm not surprised, because of course this just keeps happening, but I do feel bad for Thibs. Sure, he overplayed his starters, but he did an amazing job to take that team all the way to the ECF and beat Boston in the process. Don't think anyone could have gotten more out of that unit than he did. I wonder if KAT had anything to do with it as Thibs was fired in Minnesota with him before. But yeah, really unfortunate for him after all he led that team to in his time there.

[pwaldo]

Yeah this season has been pretty crazy with the firings in the NBA. Why would you want a head coaching job and why would you want to put in effort and time? It really isn't worth it when nobody is safe anymore. And while the Knicks did very well this season the roster is still limited in what they can do. They won't be contenders next year with this same roster so you'll have to get a new coach and upgrade the team just to reach this same point.

[WilyWestbrook0]

18 turnovers by the Pacers in the first half.

Indiana, welcome to the most aggressive defense in the L.