2022-23 NBA Season Thread

[WilyWestbrook0]

Wow! That game, from the third quarter onward, epitomized all the best things about the famed Heat culture under Pat Riley: competitiveness, hustle, discipline, do whatever the heck it takes to get things done.

Also a disappointing finish from Tatum. He didn't demand the ball until they were down, and when he finally got it back, he committed two of the most flustered and bone-headed travels I've ever seen. Not the Tatum we saw on Mother's Day. Then again, these Heat aren't the Sixers, either. They wear guys down.

[pwaldo]

I'd hate to see yet another Celtics/Lakers Finals, but yeah the league and fans of those teams would love that. I'm honestly a bit tired of LeBron and all the MJ vs. LeBron debates, which of course would only escalate if he won his fifth, especially at his age.

Still don't get how him having less MVPs and even with him winning 5 championships (to six) would make him greater in any debate. i know people discount Bill's championship rings because the competition pool was so small and the talent wasn't all world when he played so his rings "don't count" but how does anybody pass Jordan who played in very competitive years with less? Especially since Lebron is a less than clutch playoff player.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Still don't get how him having less MVPs and even with him winning 5 championships (to six) would make him greater in any debate. i know people discount Bill's championship rings because the competition pool was so small and the talent wasn't all world when he played so his rings "don't count" but how does anybody pass Jordan who played in very competitive years with less? Especially since Lebron is a less than clutch playoff player.

I don't think he's better than MJ. Nonetheless, I've been on other Internet forums where LeBron's "stans" like to come up with all these supposed advanced stats that "prove" his competition was allegedly tougher than Jordan's, or that Jordan's teammates were better, etc. Of course the fact that Jordan won his titles 25-30 years ago, you always have the people who like to say today's athletes are superior to yesteryear's as well (every new generation uses that argument; I remember 20 years ago fans were saying that the athletes of the 2000s were so physically strong than players would never shoot and score at high rates again -- they didn't realize the league could change rules to affect scoring). Only those of us 35 and older can really remember seeing him in his prime. Today's twentysomethings and even early thirtysomethings never actually witnessed MJ in his prime and only really see YouTube clips and "stats," so they can manipulate those however they wish to make it seem LeBron is better.

[qman316]

I always think it’s funny when people say oh the players are way more athletic today, I don’t think that is necessarily true but even if it was, anyone who has ever played basketball knows there is more to the game than athleticism!

[WilyWestbrook0]

I always think it’s funny when people say oh the players are way more athletic today, I don’t think that is necessarily true but even if it was, anyone who has ever played basketball knows there is more to the game than athleticism!

Yep, just look at Nikola Jokic himself! He's probably the best player in the league now, and he isn't great because of athleticism lol.

[WilyWestbrook0]

Both the Heat and Nuggets on verge of sweeps! Who saw this coming?

[pwaldo]

Both the Heat and Nuggets on verge of sweeps! Who saw this coming?

Just shows you how bad of a job the 76ers are at closing out and how bad of a choke job it was. They had the Celtics beat in game 6 and they let that slip away. Then they just gave up for game 7. Celtics aren't great and the 76ers just fade away so either was going to be crushed by the Heat.

Just weird how these playoffs have played out. I can't recall so many people collapsing/choking and or getting hurt all at the same time. Seemed like all the healthy players/teams that were left were all the ones that just fade in the spotlight. Nobody wants to win or they just are physically incapable of winning it all.

[qman316]

NUGGETS!!!!!

Lets see if the heat can do the same tomorrow night?!

[WilyWestbrook0]

NUGGETS!!!!!

Lets see if the heat can do the same tomorrow night?!

In all likelihood, they will. It's only a matter of time, regardless -- no team has ever come back from 3-0 to win a series. I do want to see some fight from Boston tonight, whether they win or lose, though. The Lakers/Nuggets series was the most competitive sweep series I've seen; all four games were close. The Celtics owe it to the fans to not play the way they did in the last game; that was an embarrassment. Let's at least see a single digit type of game -- maybe something like 118-111. Tatum needs to show more fire in particular. He dropped a big one on Mother's Day against Philly -- let's see at least half that kind of effort tonight against Miami.

[pwaldo]

He dropped a big one on Mother's Day against Philly -- let's see at least half that kind of effort tonight against Miami.

Yeah but that Philly team just gave up halfway through game 6. The Celtics were going to 100% win that game 7 against them no matter what.