StormChaser: NBA Finals

Titan 07.11.21	The NBA has become so awful lol
Ryus 07.11.21	the playoffs have been great
FabiusPictor202 07.11.21	"The NBA has become so awful lol" the second L3.5-6ron entered the league it was over
Titan 07.11.21	Pretty much
Storm In A Teacup 07.11.21	I have watched the NBA since I was 6 watching series playoffs on tv back when Michael Jordan and the Bulls won their 4th title and have watched the league and paid attention to everything since 2008 when the Celtics won their title. It has been rather interesting how much has changed since then. The biggest thing to me nowadays is the early years of Steph Curry and that's from a Warriors hater. It is quite a story and the guy is probably closest to Jordan in terms of goat status and ring getter.
Storm In A Teacup 07.11.21	Kobe is the only other one and I think in 5 years Curry will probably be retired and will have passed Kobe and possibly Jordan if he wins three more or even just two.
StormChaser 07.11.21	lol what's the .5 tho? agreed Ryus. Also, care to elaborate why it's become awful? Other than the reviews and star calls by the refs I can't think of a reason
Trebor. 07.11.21	Coach Bud is a fraud and the Bucks have no dog Giannis needs his Pippin but the Bucks are shackled to Middle-tier and Holiday for the foreseeable future I'm just glad Chris Paul is getting a chip
Storm In A Teacup 07.11.21	Okc thunder came to Chris Paul and asked him where he wanted to go so you're welcome Suns.
StormChaser 07.11.21	Nice to see Steph getting love from a Warrs hater, he's actually the thing that brought me back and even if I wouldn't exactly call him Jordan's heir in terms of playstyle, he is that in terms of box office appeal and the fact people go to pregame workouts to see this dude get his shots off. He's definitely a game changer and the best thing to watch, but man does he get snubbed by peers and analysts alike
StormChaser 07.11.21	"It is quite a story and the guy is probably closest to Jordan in terms of goat status and ring getter." For all the love I have for Steph, I don't think he'll ever be in the conversation. Unless he actually does get like 4 more rings, but even getting 1 more will be a tall task given Klay's injuries and the fact they have to make considerable roster changes for that team to be a serious contender (this all changes if Klay is back at a 100) Treb, agreed a 100%, Bud is a regular season coach and looks lost out there with the big boys. Arguably he did make some good adjustments throughout the playoffs, and honestly their team isn't that deep, and even the top of their roster obviously isn't up to snuff. Giannis finally stepped up this year in the playoffs tho, dude's a legit beast
Hyperion1001 07.11.21	the reality is that as long as khris middleton is your second best player, you're probably not winning it all. the bucks have a whole host of problems, mostly being overcome by giannis being a genuine freak of nature, but the biggest one is that they dont really have a second superstar, and the modern NBA almost necessitates multiple triple-A players to win. if kyrie and harden arent injured, the bucks never make it to the conference finals.
Ryus 07.11.21	yep the suns are incredibly well rounded
Hyperion1001 07.11.21	also steph may not get GOAT consideration but he is inarguably the greatest shooter professional basketball has ever seen and i think that will at the very least keep him on the fringe of the conversation.
StormChaser 07.11.21	I was honestly surprised at how much they struggled with half a Harden and no Kyrie to begin with. KD's foot size threw the series
FabiusPictor202 07.11.21	The .5 is for last years fugazi ass bubble ring
YoYoMancuso 07.11.21	Scott Foster is officiating tonight, aka the man who is so biased against Chris Paul that his presence being announced changed tonight's money line lmao
FabiusPictor202 07.11.21	the fix is in
Trebor. 07.11.21	The NBA doesn't want a sweep of course
EyesWideShut 07.12.21	Curry is the the greatest shooter OAT but that epic meltdown against the Cavs is what most people remember. Spineless KD made those other rings discount, not that its Curry fault.
Anthracks 07.12.21	so funny how giannis literally moves defenders out of the way and the fouls get called against them lmao
MyNameIsPencil 07.12.21	i still think this series is going to 7, Bucks looked to have made some adjustments now, tho I'm sure being at home helped too
SitarHero 07.12.21	Plus Giannis didn't look tentative either. Hopefully the Suns luck with opponent injury has run out.
Storm In A Teacup 07.12.21	(rolls eyes)
StormChaser 07.12.21	So much for Scott Foster riggin this game Bucks had the luck of playing against an injured Nets team so that argument kinda goes both ways. Not sure it's going 7, but that would be ideal. Giannis turned into Shaq for the last 2 games
teamster 07.13.21	I bet you don’t realize the Bucks have been without their starting shooting guard for months now. Don’t give me this luck bullshit. It works both ways. Not to mention Giannis blowing his knee up in the Hawks series.
Storm In A Teacup 07.13.21	Whoever wins deserves it and i wont listen to anything else lol
teamster 07.13.21	Without question. It’s not easy to win a championship.
StormChaser 07.13.21	Aye, agreed. Injuries have always been a part of championship wins or losses, that doesn't make it more or less deserved
wham49 07.13.21	Going into game 4 the bucks are right where they want to be, this team needs pressure to play their best, check the last 2 series My buddy is a Milwaukee cop and have been trading turns babysitting the “deer district” from what I hear regardless of the outcome Milwaukee is going to erupt. I hope not we have had enough of that shit lately
SitarHero 07.13.21	Apropos of nothing, 1 is a great dig.
StormChaser 07.14.21	Thanks Sitar, appreciate it
teamster 07.14.21	I worry the Bucks don’t have the same intensity or backs against the wall feeling tonight. I also worry Booker may go nuclear tonight - played terrible last game.
StormChaser 07.14.21	Honestly if they can't withstand Booker going nuclear, they won't have a good chance to win this series. Also, they're still at home, and Booker has literally 0 playoff experience save this postseason. The backs against the wall thing I agree with tho. Idk I could still see this thing going both ways, but I don't think Booker will be the one crush them
Anthracks 07.15.21	book was looking like kobe on his second ring tour. unfortunate foul trouble kept him from the 50+ he would have gotten easy
Storm In A Teacup 07.15.21	Suns in 6
SitarHero 07.15.21	Bucks in 6
EyesWideShut 07.15.21	The Bucks like to make everything more difficult for themselves so I think they take it in 7
StormChaser 07.15.21	Suns in 6 or Bucks in 7 for me
YoYoMancuso 07.15.21	Giannis with one of the all time great defensive plays to seal the game. Also Chris Paul with one of the all time worst turnovers to seal the L
Lord(e)Po)))ts 07.15.21	Yall gonna beat your wives and throw people of colour in front of trains over this one too or
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	dudes I think Chris Paul deserves it and they have a better team. Also I'm a recent Booker fan. But as an outside lurker, if one legged Antetokounmpo wins this its going to be heroic fs
YoYoMancuso 07.15.21	Chris Paul has had an amazing playoffs but if they lose the Finals because of his horrific Game 4 performance then I wouldn't say he deserves it
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	He deserves it for his career on NBA, and also don't forget that the dude probably ain't got his right arm at 100%. On conference finals the dude played with no hand sensibility whatsoever, go figure! wtf...these dudes are heroes
StormChaser 07.15.21	I wouldn't call Giannis one-legged, he's said multiple times now that his knee is fine, he isn't making any excuses, and he definitely wouldn't have back-to-back 40 and 10 games if he was seriously hurt. Paul's obviously hurt tho, but who's at a 100% at this point of the season? I kinda want Paul to get a chip for his legacy, but I also want Giannis to get one now cuz who knows when either of these guys are gonna be in a spot like this again. Sure, Freak will presumably get to the finals sometime in his career again, but I'm not sure that's so close on the horizon either. Bucks need to do some soul-searching in the offseason cuz they ain't making the finals next year with Holiday playing like he is and PJ Tucker as a starter was probably a bad idea 5 years ago
StormChaser 07.15.21	Anyway kudos to the Bucks pulling out yet another grueling victory, sucks to be the Suns right now as they had this game in their pocket. Even the refs let Book get 7 fouls lmao
Eakflanderyof 07.15.21	All nba teams really need is two dudes who can consistently get you 30+ points and a bunch of average guys to round out the roster, and the bucks have that with Giannis and Middleton. I think they could easily be back next year
Eakflanderyof 07.15.21	The only thing standing in their way really is nets team at 100%, and chances are you're gonna lose one of your stars in the playoffs if you have 3 or 4 of them
SitarHero 07.15.21	A Nets team at 67% would have beaten the Bucks. As it is they were at 50% and it still went 7 games with the Bucks LUCKY to escape. The Nets aren't getting younger though, so the Bucks still have a decent shot at being back. Meanwhile, the Suns have played well to get here, but it's not like they haven't had a ridiculous run of good luck with opponent injuries taking out 1 of 2 opposing stars in every round. I'd be very surprised if the Suns make it to the finals again in the near future. Depending on CP3's health I don't even think they're a lock for the playoffs tbh. Nobody in the West is.
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	Off course Giannis would say his knee is fine! But he s not atracking the basket as in the rest of the season, and I think we all know why. Even when he scored 40 plus points on game 3 he was receiving the ball from inside. On game 4 he was always walking outside avoiding contact. Giannis can lie to us, but we dont need to lie ourselves. And we all see his face when he sits. He says his knee is fine because he s the freak!
SitarHero 07.15.21	If his knees are less than 100% and he's still doing shit like that Ayton block...holy hell.
SteakByrnes 07.15.21	This series owns, still hoping for a Suns victory but I'm down for a Bucks win. That block last night was insane, probably my favorite block since Lebron's on Iguodala
Ryus 07.15.21	the refs are fucking awful holy shit it ruins everything
SteakByrnes 07.15.21	All refs are garbage and make the sport worse agreed
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	That block was awesome indeed. But he only dunks with no opponents after the injury. You guys been following Giannis at all?
SteakByrnes 07.15.21	"But he only dunks with no opponents" That is simply not true lol
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	After the injury. Fixed. The dude is supernatural bros. I bet his knee is a soup rn.
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	And so does Chris Paul, all fucked since the thing with arm...I dig both guys so much. I m one of those craving for game 7.
Ryus 07.15.21	i want the bucks after last night
DDDeftoneDDD 07.15.21	"fine"
StormChaser 07.15.21	Shit deleted the comment by accident, here it is again, more or less. Eak, I dare you to name more than 1 team with 2 guys who can score 30+ consistently. And that's in today's crazy scoring league. honestly, Giannis is fine, he's just picking his spots offensively because he's become more mindful of how teams guard him aka the wall. I'd much rather he do that than roll to the rim on every play like he's been doing for the majority of his postseason career. It's really exhausting for anyone to play like that, even a freak like him, and it's easy to guard as you can draw charges more effectively if you know he's just gonna bulldoze down the middle. And yeah, fine as anyone can be in this part of the season. He's also exerting himself incredibly on both sides of the floor. If he's playing like this on a bum knee, that basically puts him in the goat conversation, and I don't think anyone's comfortable doing that
SitarHero 07.15.21	"I dare you to name more than 1 team with 2 guys who can score 30+ consistently." Lakers, Nets, Clips, Nuggs, Wiz, Warriors, Bucks, Blazers, Pelicans, Celtics Lol it's not a short list but I think that actually disproves Eak's point. Having two scorers with a garbage rotation isn't the recipe for instant success that people think it is.
Ryus 07.15.21	"Nuggs" no "Bucks" lol no wtf
SitarHero 07.15.21	""Nuggs" no" Bro, do you even Jamal Murray?
SitarHero 07.15.21	And yeah, Bucks is a bit of a stretch, but mainly because they have a pretty egalitarian offense. Middleton still goes out and gets his though. He has 5 30+ games in the playoffs, so it's not like it's a fluke. The dude can score.
Snake. 07.15.21	"Warriors" lmao wat
StormChaser 07.15.21	Guys, consistently being the keyword here. Klay is my second favorite player but he can't average 30. Neither can Davis consistently, or George or Murray, or Russ or Middleton or CJ or anyone on the Pels against great teams, or Jaylen Brown. All of those guys can go for 30+, none of them can do it consistently except for MAYBE Klay and thats cuz I'm biased.
Snake. 07.15.21	really eager to see how he performs next season (if he even plays)
StormChaser 07.15.21	Honestly having thought about it again, Murray is the guy I trust most to go crazy for a series and average 30+, but that's in a perfect series. But I mean come on, nobody has the numbers to back up an argument like that, 2 guys consistently scoring 30+ is extremely rarified air historically, like 2017 GSW rare, or the current Nets rare. It's crazy to think otherwise
SitarHero 07.15.21	What even is the yardstick here? You're asking for two guys on the same team to both average 30 at the same time? That's literally never happened in the modern era. Not even with Kobe and Shaq, the Heatles, Warriors, or Nets. By your standard Lebron isn't a consistent 30+ guy lol. The more pertinent question is whether on any given day the guy is a threat to get 30+, not a second option who somehow averages 30+. AD averaged 30+ in his first two playoff runs (against the Warriors no less). Russ has averaged 30+ in a season, 37(!) in a playoff run, and averaged 27 last year off the ball in Houston. PG averaged 29ppg in his Conf Semis and Conf Finals.
Eakflanderyof 07.16.21	2 guys going 30+ on the same night is not what I'm talking about. Let's also consider the fact that some of these guys put in the work in the playoffs that they don't do in the regular season. I'm just saying that when giannis isn't putting up 30+, a lot of nights Middleton will step up and score like 30-40. A lot of the reason a team like the hawks couldn't stop the bucks is when trae wasn't 100% or was playing hurt, there was nobody that they could count on to score. You gotta have at least 2 guys who can make lots of baskets when you need them. Most of the teams that go deep in the playoffs have two guys who can get you baskets
MyNameIsPencil 07.16.21	khris middleton is going to go down as one of this era's best under-sung players just watch
Ryus 07.16.21	if he helps secure a title this year maybe yeah. on his best nights dude looks like one of the best scorers of this generation, if he was more consistent he'd be a legend
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	All debate aside Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan are mentally delusional people.
SitarHero 07.16.21	"khris middleton is going to go down as one of this era's best under-sung players just watch" He's kind of an unsexy anachronism though. Joe Johnson lite but without the smoothness. Paul Pierce without the attitude. Devin Booker without the dalliances with Kardashians.
SitarHero 07.16.21	"All debate aside Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan are mentally delusional people." Lol, what'd they say now?
StormChaser 07.16.21	I like Middleton's game and the fact that he isn't a diva like a Paul George
DDDeftoneDDD 07.16.21	ahahah good point. Paul George clearly has issues being in the shadow XD
DDDeftoneDDD 07.16.21	anyway, lets go game 7 boys!
StormChaser 07.16.21	YES! cue Zaza Pachulia video WE'RE GOING TO GAME 7 BABYYY!!! GAME SEVEEEEEEN!!!!
SitarHero 07.16.21	"Paul George clearly has issues being in the shadow" Clearly he doesn't. George is a phenomenally talented player but if anyone lacks the "killer instinct" (a term which I hate and think is both overused and misused) it's him. The only problem he has as a basketball player is psychological and related to his ability to handle pressure, which is why he PREFERS not having to be the #1 star on his own team. On a pure talent level George is top tier and well above Middleton.
StormChaser 07.16.21	Definitely a lot more talent than Middleton, but I was having a discussion with a friend some months ago about who you'd rather have on the current Golden State team along with Steph and Klay: Middleton or George. I was surprised to find myself leaning toward Middleton for the lack of attitude, despite him being obviously more limited on both sides of the ball. But yeah, I think PG is definitely a #2 talent wise on a contender, but once again he proved this postseason he's at his best as a #1 option. You're not gonna go very far with him as the #1 tho
Eakflanderyof 07.16.21	I mean, PG definitely played like a #1 on a contending team in the suns series. The suns just had more weapons at the end of the day
EyesWideShut 07.16.21	"He's kind of an unsexy anachronism though. Joe Johnson lite but without the smoothness" This is p accurate, people forget Joe Johnson was a really solid player for a large stretch of his career. I doubt Middleton's game will get much better and that's where it can hurt the Bucks if they dont win this championship.
SitarHero 07.16.21	"I think PG is definitely a #2 talent wise on a contender, but once again he proved this postseason he's at his best as a #1 option. You're not gonna go very far with him as the #1 tho" I think he played with a chip on his shoulder this year because of the debacle last year, but ultimately I think he wants to be a #2 and is probably best there, especially alongside Kawhi. I honestly don't know where the attitude problem talk comes from. I get that people don't think he cares enough or doesn't work hard enough (kind of the same way they talked about T-Mac back in the day) but the only person really calling him a diva was Trez and that's the pot calling the kettle black.
StormChaser 07.16.21	For me it's more him calling himself Playoff P and then proceeding to suck major ass in the postseason for a couple years in a row culminating in hitting the side of the backboard vs the Nuggets last year. Also both of those guys (Kawhi and George) showing up and getting preferntial treatment in a well-established fighting playoff team and acting like they own the place and won a chip when in reality they did jack shit together. It rubs me the wrong way and I'm sure that's what a lot of fans give him shit for too, people even coined the nick "Pandemic P"
StormChaser 07.16.21	He did keep his mouth shut and head down and had a redemption run this year so there's that Also I don't think having PG and Kawhi on the same team is a great fit. They're basically bringing the same skillset to the table and one is slightly more efficient than the other
SitarHero 07.16.21	Yeah, the dude does put his foot in his mouth a lot, even with the "that was a bad shot" talk (although I kind of agree with him about a 40 foot jumper with a hand in your face).
teamster 07.16.21	Fun Fact: The Bucks in their history are 4-28 at Phoenix including an 18 game losing streak. I said it after the Nets series I wanted the Clippers to win so bad. Wanted no part of the Suns. Well here we are, the Bucks have to win a game in that godforsaken place.
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	are you sure you want that to be declared as a "fun" fact? =)
SitarHero 07.16.21	Yeesh, an 18 game losing streak would encompasses the years the Suns were good as well as the past decade when they've been terribad. Is it the dry heat or something?
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	@sitar im just referring to everything starting from the last dance up to the day that scottie said phil jackson is a racist and finals were won with jordan passing to scoring white players conspiracy.
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	btw folks we have a Kemba Walker for sale in OKC please make your offers soon! all Ben Simmons and Buddy Hields are welcome here!
SitarHero 07.16.21	Yikes...I don't want to say anything about him though since he's dealing with the death of his kid but yeah...that's pretty out there.
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	which person i just named like 4 people?
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	and yes please 76ers have a Kemba Walker and a 2026 first round pick please and we are happy to have Simmons play power forward and center
Storm In A Teacup 07.16.21	Perimeter of Lu Dort, SGA Small forward in 7 footer Aleksej Poku Big man team of Simmons and Tony Bradley It would be great!
SitarHero 07.16.21	"which person i just named like 4 people?" Scottie
StormChaser 07.17.21	If Poku turns out to be a borderline all star, Presti will be named a legit genius. All Poku jokes aside, I love SGA and Dort as the backcourt of the future for OKC.
Anthracks 07.17.21	I’m having such bad anxiety about this series. I had a dream the Suns lost by 92 points and then Devin Booker dumped me
SitarHero 07.18.21	THE MOTHERBUCKING FUCKS! You reverse jinxed the losing streak teamster!
SitarHero 07.18.21	Fucking hell though, how do you shoot 55% from the floor and 68(!!!)% from the arc and still lose. Cray.
YoYoMancuso 07.18.21	Best play of the season
SitarHero 07.18.21	Jrue fucking came to play today.
Ryus 07.18.21	paul and booker are so unlikable lol
SitarHero 07.18.21	Yeah seriously. I want to like them and root for them but they just make it so damn hard.
Eakflanderyof 07.18.21	Oh dang, I thought I was the only person that didn't worship Chris Paul
YoYoMancuso 07.18.21	Obviously anything could happen but I think we’ll look back on That Giannis stare down into the camera as the moment the series ended. He just has a mental edge that no one on the Suns is displaying
Anthracks 07.18.21	that's the difference between the two teams. bucks have a leader that is unphased by everything. no matter how many points theyre down, giannis' countenance doesn't change and that shows in how his team mates play. paul and booker both get so frustrated, and we are seeing collapse after collapse for the suns
Anthracks 07.18.21	monty is also trusting the team too much. he needed to call a time out when they grabbed that last possession. he got out-coached.
SitarHero 07.18.21	"That Giannis stare down into the camera" Definitely an iconic Finals moment. Now the Bucks need to put this baby to bed.
Eakflanderyof 07.18.21	The only time giannis appeared to get shook was in that one hawks game when he airballed two free throws. Looked like the crowd was actually getting to him with the whole counting out his free throws thing
StormChaser 07.18.21	That first comment from Titan aged pretty badly just a week later
DDDeftoneDDD 07.19.21	that jrew+giannis last play was really something.
SitarHero 07.21.21	Giannis beast mode: ACTIVATED Daaaaaamn
DDDeftoneDDD 07.21.21	BIG FREAK! Awesome!
RogueNine 07.21.21	Welp there's a lot in this thread that reads awkwardly now.
Keyblade 07.21.21	shout out to futures wherever the big guy is. they finally did it
SteakByrnes 07.21.21	Huge props to Giannis, very happy for him. I wanted the Suns to win but I'm very okay with the Bucks winning, they clearly wanted it more. Giannis is a stud
Ryus 07.21.21	dude has a crazy resume for a 26 year old now. 2 MVPs, a DPOY, a ring, and a finals MVP
Snake. 07.21.21	really sad but good to see the bucks finally break their choking label that final play in game 5 was money 🥵🥵🥵
SteakByrnes 07.21.21	Yea fr lol, absolutely stacked resume for somebody so young. His jersey is gonna be in those rafters like immediately after he retires, especially since he kept his word and stayed to bring a championship to the team
EyesWideShut 07.21.21	Nothing but props to Giannis and the Bucks. Great series
EyesWideShut 07.21.21	Giannis and the Bucks won that championship the right way. He could have easily "demanded" a trade or join some "super team" but he believed in his teammates and the organization that drafted him and it all worked out. Props.
SitarHero 07.21.21	It probably helped that the organization was competent at putting a great complementary team around him. But yeah, Giannis has entered the greatest PF of all time conversation and is probably already 3rd on the list. Not bad for for a non-lottery draft pick.
Ryus 07.21.21	good year for european non-lottery picks
SitarHero 07.21.21	Who else did well?
Keyblade 07.21.21	only the mvp
SitarHero 07.21.21	Lol, fuck. I clean forgot.
SitarHero 07.21.21	On a related note, team US is probably screwed in the Olympics. The rest of the world has nearly caught up (talent wise) and also puts more effort and time into Olympic preparation.
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	With such a dominant finals performance we could be looking at a credible threat to Lebron's legacy 😂😂😂
Keyblade 07.21.21	we'll wait til he played in 10 finals or at least wins 4 chips lol
SitarHero 07.21.21	He was dominant in the Finals, but he's gotta get there again, and if the Nets are healthy next season...
DominionMM1 07.21.21	Giannis and the Bucks won that championship the right way. He could have easily "demanded" a trade or join some "super team" but he believed in his teammates and the organization that drafted him and it all worked out. Props. [2] plus it makes the nba more compelling. i paid a lot more attention this postseason that i have in years.
Keyblade 07.21.21	slightly off topic, but I hope this gives Wes Edens even greater vigor in keeping Jack Grealish at Aston Villa. just point to Giannis and what can be achieved with patience, loyalty and smart team building
Eakflanderyof 07.21.21	"we'll wait til he played in 10 finals or at least wins 4 chips lol" LeBron has played on stacked teams most of his career, though, many of which were literally handpicked by him
Eakflanderyof 07.21.21	And still managed to lose most of those finals appearances. Not to say it isn't impressive though
StormChaser 07.21.21	This was an all time great performance in the finals. Dude literally put the team on his back and got them to the finish line. And it's not only the 50 on the offensive end but 5 blocks my god. Amazing, and now those 2 MVPs mean so much more. Kudos to Giannis and the Bucks, well deserved win and I hope they get back to the finals at some point
StormChaser 07.21.21	Also, to your guys' point on the non-American stars, just check the end of season categories: DPOY: Gobert (France) MVP: Jokić (Serbia) 6MOY: Clarkson (Philippines) FMVP: Giannis (Greece) It's an international league alright PS I suppose Clarkson doesn't really count but point is still valid imo
EyesWideShut 07.21.21	"plus it makes the nba more compelling. i paid a lot more attention this postseason that i have in years." [2]
MyNameIsPencil 07.21.21	and then there's Luka, someone behind Giannis for title of Best Player in the League, especially once LeBron and KD retire
SitarHero 07.21.21	"LeBron has played on stacked teams most of his career, though," The only non-stacked team to win a championship in the past 2 decades was the 2011 Mavericks. Jrue and Middleton both have All-star selections on their resumes.
SitarHero 07.21.21	And don't forget Jojo Embiid who's Cameroonian. (and Ben Simmons from Australia (lol))
MyNameIsPencil 07.21.21	I watched the Bucks celebrate their win at a laundry mat and talked to this guy there where we both agreed that we're only seeing the beginning of Giannis' peak Hope the Olympics don't wear out Middleton and Jrue too much
MyNameIsPencil 07.21.21	Simmons needs to go to a team that isn't in the limelight and can focus on his shooting and hopefully raise his confidence I'm looking at you, Sacramento
SteakByrnes 07.21.21	Giannis is definitely gonna be making more finals appearances, I hope we're gonna see a decade of Giannis and Luka domination. Gonna be weird when Lebron retires, but the NBA is in good hands with these insanely talented young studs
MyNameIsPencil 07.21.21	the amount of high quality players under 25 has never felt deeper, what a wonderful time for the sport
Ryus 07.21.21	yeah luka, trae, zion, tatum, mitchell, and murray are still so young. crazy
SitarHero 07.21.21	Don't forget Ja and Melo But it would sure be a shame if Lebron dominated for another decade and well into the primes of all those guys too bwahahaha
StormChaser 07.21.21	Yup the future is bright and extemely exciting for a lot of teams. I wanna give De'Aaron Fox a shout out too and Jaylen Brown who are pretty talented. Booker is still only 24 too
Ryus 07.21.21	dont forget my son rj barrett
Ryus 07.21.21	so happy i got to root for him in college and now the nba
StormChaser 07.21.21	Need to see a bit more from him, but it's a nice homer pick with potential upside. U a Knicks fan or just an RJ fan? Do you think they should keep Randle? Do those 2 work together?
Ryus 07.21.21	knicks fan the knicks are probably going to keep him for another season especially considering the free agency class this year is pretty awful. they do work well together but the roster is so woefully incomplete that last season was our ceiling. we need a reliable 3 point shooter and a bona fide point guard desperately
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	Really need the 76ers to do something dumb and take that Kemba Walker bait. Simmons can average 12 points under the basket woth the thunder dont need anything else offensively from him with our other players. It might even be a smart trade for the 76ers if they can also get one first round pick from thunder in case it didn't work out but maybe a regular point guard is what embiid needs
StormChaser 07.21.21	knicks fan damn I feel for ya, though this season ya'll were a huge success story given your recent history of sucking immensely sorry Storm but Morrey ain't taking another walking injury risk and they definitely don't need more draft picks, they want to win now. I think Presti is doing a fine job taking all of these disgruntled semi stars that nobody wants on, along with all of the draft picks in the league. something should give sooner or later, but I think you'll have to be patient for a couple of seasons. like it or not, you guys are in a hard rebuild mode. but don't worry, no contract is untradeable, except for maybe Kevin Love's And for all the potential upside Ben Simmons still has, I wouldn't rush to be the initiator of that reclamation project
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	for awhile i haven't expected any serious playoff runs from the thunder until the 2022-2023 season. we still have to get SGA to resign. i guess it all depends on if he likes okc and wants to be the franchise player. if we luck out and get someone like jonathan kuminga to develop alongside poku, sga, and lu dort, 2023 gonna be ballin.
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	if the suns warriors and thunder are the future of the west (the next 2-5 years) then we need big guys to combat ayton, and wiseman, tho wiseman could still have a lower ceiling than we thought
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	And I want to believe in Tony Bradley the same way Embiid does and with him being an OKC restricted free agent I really hope we have a plan to sign him, develop him, and give him at least 23 minutes a game this upcoming season
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	what's really fucked up is the okc thunder have 3 first round draft picks and their lowest pick #18 would get to sign this season only for almost TWICE as much as what Lu Dort will be making in THREE years from now. Lu is gonna definitely want max dollars asap and the Thunder better be prepared.
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	the #16 okc draft pick will sign for 3.2 million dollars this year and the #18 pick will sign for 2.9 million while Lu Dort this coming year will make 1.7 million
StormChaser 07.21.21	I think Wiseman is a 5+ year project, and if the Warriors get something huge back for a package with him included, they'd do it. They're in a win-now mode and I think they have to mortgage their future to do it. It's very difficult to sit on 2 chairs at the same time trying to develop young guys like Wiseman and whoever they get this year and trying to contend. Wiseman sucked this year because the system they have is way too complicated for such an unrefined young big like James, so I don't see them as the future of the west really. I could be wrong tho. Gotta admit, I've no idea about Tony Bradley, he seems like a real deep cut. Hasn't he been bounced around a lot? I hope he works out, I love SGA and Dort, but like you said, no idea if Shae wants to be the FP and I'll take it a step further I've no idea if OKC want him as a franchise player. I love him but it's still very early to tell if OKC is the place for him and if that's who he's meant to be
Get Low 07.21.21	Go watch Space Jam 2, nerds
Get Low 07.21.21	LEBRON JAMES
StormChaser 07.21.21	and honestly fuck Ben Simmons. The dude is not known to be a hard worker, the man literally DOESN'T WANT TO SHOOT or work on free throws, and he didn't even improve on the things he's supposed to be good at except for defense since he came into the league. with OKC's track record I'd much rather rely on building through the draft than getting that guy and watching him be subpar with all that natural talent
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	We have a huge problem on our hands if we can't get someone to take Kemba though. Unless we are going back to SGA as SG and Dort as SF :-/
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	Just think of the value OKC will be at if we actually get something good for Walker. The cupeth overfloweth.
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	I would like to see Fred Van Vleet become the starting point guard for the Raptors and see him play 37 minutes a night.
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	It looks like we now get to see Paul George lead the Clippers by himself this year with an injured Kawai, Reggie Jackson probably signing somewhere else for bigger money, and Rajon Rondo becoming not a factor. Is Terrance Mann going to average 20 points a game? Or will the Clippers record fall out of the playoffs and give the OKC thunder even more great draft picks?
Storm In A Teacup 07.21.21	lol at the lakers and mainstream media being desperate to get Damian Lillard to the lakers. i really don't see that being the thing Damian would want
Eakflanderyof 07.21.21	"The only non-stacked team to win a championship in the past 2 decades was the 2011 Mavericks. Jrue and Middleton both have All-star selections on their resumes" It's not even comparable. With the heat, LeBron had Dwayne and bosh. Both of them are like 10 time all stars. Then he went to Cleveland and had kyrie and love who were both 5-6 time all stars each. Then he went to the Lakers and recruited Anthony Davis. Jrue Holliday was an all star once like 9 years ago and Middleton was an all star only twice although both selections were the previous 2 years
StormChaser 07.21.21	Yeah I can't see Dame joining BronBron. The Lakers have enough as it is, but naturally mainstream media can't stop talking LeBron and LA. Yeah I can see the Clips being maybe a 7,8 seed at best w/o Kawhi. I think you guys can ride out 2 more years of Kemba's contract and then have a good opening when your young guys get some more reps. I'm not saying you should tank cuz I hate tanking but I wouldn't try to win hard soon either. It's remarkable what Reggie was able to do this year to repair his image, the dude was consistent as fuck in the playoffs.
StormChaser 07.21.21	Agreed, Middleton is pretty good but Jrue was a non-factor for the majority of the post season on the offensive end. LeBron had a bad Cavs team on his first go-around but that's about it as far as not having enough around him
SitarHero 07.21.21	"With the heat, LeBron had Dwayne and bosh. Both of them are like 10 time all stars. Then he went to Cleveland and had kyrie and love who were both 5-6 time all stars each." The point is that the Bucks have both top level talent and are fairly deep to the point where they can regularly win even when Giannis isn't the team's top scorer. Are they AS stacked as the Heatles or Warriors or Nets, obviously not, and they're not nearly as good a team as those teams are/were. But they're plenty stacked.
Eakflanderyof 07.21.21	I'll just say, imo, you switch out giannis with a 26 year old lebron and that team isn't beating the suns in this series
SitarHero 07.22.21	Hard disagree. 26 year old Lebron and the shitty-ass 2010 Cavs would have probably taken the Suns to 7 if not won it outright.
EyesWideShut 07.22.21	Philly needs to trade Simmons for Lillard tbh. It would work for both sides, Lillard would play with a legit star and Ben can better his game without the same expectations and still have CJ with Billups coaching him.
SitarHero 07.22.21	That...actually makes a lot of sense.
Storm In A Teacup 07.22.21	suns would have rocked those cavs imo
Get Low 07.22.21	lebron james back to cleveland ONE LAST STINT LEBRON JAMES
StormChaser 07.22.21	Philly needs to trade Simmons for Lillard tbh. I do hear a lot of talk about this, so it might happen. To me it doesn't make sense as Portland isn't going anywhere so they might as well blow it up. They aren't going anywhere with Dame and CJ and they sure as hell ain't making the playoffs if you switch Simmons with Dame
DDDeftoneDDD 07.22.21	"Agreed, Middleton is pretty good but Jrue was a non-factor for the majority of the post season on the offensive end" except on game 5 hehe but agreed. On defense tho the dude is a pain in the ass for any attacker
Storm In A Teacup 07.23.21	i need Lil B to become a Thunder fan and curse all 29 other teams
Storm In A Teacup 07.23.21	76ers would be stupid to not trade simmons for lillard. good luck to lillard with embiid staying healthy tho
DDDeftoneDDD 07.30.21	Hey. Today is a great day for our Portuguese basketball. Neemias Queta is the first Portuguese ever to be draft picked for NBA. Lets go Kings! Lol