2025 NBA Season Thread aka Draymond's Annual Wealth Destruction Tour

just popped up on my phone that it was on this day he hit the game winner of the 1995 ecf against the magic
If I'm remembering correctly in 1998 is when Pacers took Chicago to 7 games in ECF. I still to the day believe Indiana was the better team...
 
If I'm remembering correctly in 1998 is when Pacers took Chicago to 7 games in ECF. I still to the day believe Indiana was the better team...
was that the series reggie hit a game winner and started twirling around like a little girl? i thought he'd go down as the greatest 3 point shooter of all time and stay there for a decade or more. wasn't but a minute and we had ray allen and everything that followed after
 
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was that the series reggie hit a game winner and started twirling around like a little girl? i thought he'd go down as the greatest 3 point shooter of all time and stay there for a decade or more. wasn't but a minute and we had ray allen and everything that followed after
Yes...
 
Breaking: team that hasn’t won a playoff series in 10 years would have traded for a superstar

 
I don't think it's the coach as much as it is a difference in abilities, teammates, and opponent. Hali is pass first and the Pacers are running 5 out against the Knicks. T Wolves are 3.5 out against an all-time defense. Ant is a scorer/playmaker hybrid with bad spacing to deal with (and he's 2 years younger than Hali).

I don't even hold game 4 against Ant. OKC sold out to stop him and his teammates were scorching hot. What's he supposed to do? Take worse shots than they were getting, just to assert himself? He was successfully a decoy, and they lost because they couldn't stop OKC.

I really wanna see what OKC has for Hali. I can't imagine he'll be dribble-driving against them like he did in the first 3 rounds
Ant would make his life much easier if he found a couple go to spots on the floor he can fall back on when things are tough. SGA is surgical with how he gets to his spots and you can’t do anything about it. Ant uses excess energy trying to create things from nothing and he could benefit from a more methodical approach. That part will come but we’re probably 3 years from his prime.

Regarding the point about coaching. Minnesota has been terrible when it comes to turnovers the last few years under Finch(at least teams competing in playoffs). It doesn’t matter what personnel they have, the team is careless with the ball. The turnovers at this point continue to happen because the coaches don’t emphasize taking care of the ball. Either through practice or film but they constantly fail at doing the little things that will keep you from winning a title. Sometimes it’s comically bad. He also has no issue watching a deficit go from 7 to 22 points before calling a timeout. Finch is a good locker room coach, they have been excellent with playe development, and he’s been flexible with the constant roster turnover. I have doubts he can nail the smaller details if you want to win title. But he’s the best coach Minnesota has had and you could easily end up with a worse coach. I have no doubt that if Carlisle was his coach we would be getting a version of Ant that is much closer to what people think he’s capable of being
 
there aint much separating these two teams

gonna be uphill for whoever gets to play okc
 
how the hell did the raptors let siakam go?

The spacing was so bad with Scottie Barnes that they thought it was stunting his growth, and they sold low because nobody wanted to pay Siakam that $. Pacers made a lot of sense scheme-wise, salary cap-wise (bunch of bargain players, so they could eat it), and they don't get a lot of chances to add big names to the roster.
 
BTW, @apevol congrats not only on making the finals, but having the best 3-year outlook in the east too. It's crazy to say that a young team from last year's ECF snuck up on us, but they really did. Ahead of schedule last year, this year, and now the east is looking real apocalyptic next year. League has to do everything they can to get Giannis to NYK, or we might be looking at OKC/IND again next year.
 
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BTW, @apevol congrats not only on making the finals, but having the best 3-year outlook in the east too. It's crazy to say that a young team from last year's ECF snuck up on us, but they really did. Ahead of schedule last year, this year, and now the east is looking real apocalyptic next year. League has to do everything they can to get Giannis to NYK, or we might be looking at OKC/IND again next year.
its my consolation for the sonics still being gone
 
It is insane that Siakam won ECF MVP. He was so up and down. Yeah, he scored 25 ppg or whatever, but Hali scored 21 and had 63 assists and just 10 turnovers. Hali also had more rebounds and stocks.
 
It is insane that Siakam won ECF MVP. He was so up and down. Yeah, he scored 25 ppg or whatever, but Hali scored 21 and had 63 assists and just 10 turnovers. Hali also had more rebounds and stocks.
they also start down 1 - 0 and the series is completely different without his whacky 3/2 pointer at the end of regulation.

I honestly think it's kind of a tie between the two, because they both had off games and guys like bryant had their moments.

Haliburton doesn't tie game 1 up without Nesmith going absolutely crazy from the 3 minute mark either
 
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