The 2022–23 NBA Season

[TheFifthSet]

Also… are we willing to do it?

Jokic is the best European player of all time.

Yeah I’ve been sitting on this for quite some time. I never have and never will forgive you for 2011 Dirk. Perhaps some more unbiased sources can weigh in.

Higher peak, but 20 years of Dirk is hard to top. It’s also rarely mentioned now just how much the conference disparity hurt the great players out West and propped up some of the Leasterners. The West was a total bloodbath from ‘02-‘16 and Nash, Dirk, CP3 were some of the worst casualties. Put Nash’s or Dirk’s teams in the Eastern Conference during their prime years and they make 4-5 finals as opposed to 0 and 2.

Meanwhile Kidd has two finals berths as the top guy on 52 and 49 win squads, AI made the finals in a year his team was 6-5 in games where he shot less than 32% from the field, etc. didn’t take much in many of those campaigns.

(When it’s all said and done though, Jokic will comfortably surpass Dirk.)

 

[-NN-]

And as far as being likeable and uncriticisable, it's really hard to knock Murray. His introduction to the game 5 presser was simply joyous.

Jokic is a pretty funny guy.

As a duo, they simply rock.

***

Do I think Jokic is the "best" Euro player ever. I mean, there's not a shred of doubt in my mind. If we're just talking pure basketball ability and not the totality of his accomplishments yet then yes. But then his accomplishments are already nothing to remotely scoff at. Obviously, in terms of active players the biggest debate would be between Jokic and Giannis (with Doncic looming), but I've favoured Jokic over Giannis for a long time... since then Giannis won a title and now finally Jokic has as well. Giannis ended up proving me wrong but now Jokic has also ended up proving me not wrong. What will the future hold...

 

[-NN-]

For those who ain't seen...

42:20 for Jokic
1:05:28 for Murray

 

[Technology Ruined Tennis]

That Butler "foul" is why I can't take the NBA seriously. ("there was contact"....) And when we're on the refs, serious question: was a single carrying / palming violation called in the entire playoffs? I get not calling it when you bringing the ball up unguarded, but some of these drives are becoming a joke.

can still earn partial credit if Denver sweeps the next 3.

Never in doubt.

 

[optic yellow]

And as far as being likeable and uncriticisable, it's really hard to knock Murray. His introduction to the game 5 presser was simply joyous.

Jokic is a pretty funny guy.

As a duo, they simply rock.

***

Do I think Jokic is the "best" Euro player ever. I mean, there's not a shred of doubt in my mind. If we're just talking pure basketball ability and not the totality of his accomplishments yet then yes. But then his accomplishments are already nothing to remotely scoff at. Obviously, in terms of active players the biggest debate would be between Jokic and Giannis (with Doncic looming), but I've favoured Jokic over Giannis for a long time... since then Giannis won a title and now finally Jokic has as well. Giannis ended up proving me wrong but now Jokic has also ended up proving me not wrong. What will the future hold...

Giannis is not at Jokic's level, the basketball IQ and body control are not there. Flashier more athletic player, less fundamentally talented.

 

[TheFifthSet]

That Butler "foul" is why I can't take the NBA seriously. ("there was contact"....) And when we're on the refs, serious question: was a single carrying / palming violation called in the entire playoffs? I get not calling it when you bringing the ball up unguarded, but some of these drives are becoming a joke.


Never in doubt.

All you gotta do is watch KD for one half to see what the officials think about palming… LOL.

 

[Biotic]

Congratulations to Denver. They really played like a team, you don't see that very often.

It's funny that the outcome may have been decided by two ridiculous 3-pointers Jokic nailed against Lakers (was it game 2 and 3?). Not getting "exposed" by Davis halped too lol.

 

[Kralingen]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1668474130750947329

Lol

Congratulations to Denver. They really played like a team, you don't see that very often.

It's funny that the outcome may have been decided by two ridiculous 3-pointers Jokic nailed against Lakers (was it game 2 and 3?). Not getting "exposed" by Davis halped too lol.

yes, and of course those crazy jumpers+Murray going nuclear were easily the best performance the Nuggets had in a postseason series. Saved their absolute best basketball for LeBron, because, of course they did.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Heat Reddit asking for Jaylen Brown. Lol take him

 

[Beerus]

Jokic BOAT.

 

[InsuranceMan]

Heat Reddit asking for Jaylen Brown. Lol take him

? They were obsessed with Lopez and Dame last I checked.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Find myself in agreement with Skip. LOL Oh dear.

Yeah, the game was an excruciating 48 minutes, no doubt. Stoke vs Bradford on the basketball court.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

The Stoke vs Bradford line was unnecessary. They don't exactly have players like Jokic, Murray or Don Gordon. It was still an exciting game even if the quality wasn't the greatest.

 

[Kralingen]

The Stoke vs Bradford line was unnecessary. They don't exactly have players like Jokic, Murray or Don Gordon. It was still an exciting game even if the quality wasn't the greatest.

Trust me playa. You're spoiled beyond belief.

Go have a look at some of the 2004-2008 Finals. Gaze at the box scores and the totals. We're talking 88-68, 79-75, teams failing to crack 80 and even 70 regularly.

That was what we watched growing up. This, this is paradise in comparison.

 

[optic yellow]

Low scoring basketball > high scoring basketball

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Trust me playa. You're spoiled beyond belief.

Go have a look at some of the 2004-2008 Finals. Gaze at the box scores and the totals. We're talking 88-68, 79-75, teams failing to crack 80 and even 70 regularly.

That was what we watched growing up. This, this is paradise in comparison.

Idk about all that my man that era had some great nba finals . Pistons Spurs Celtics Lakers was top notch stuff. Was a different era but not unwatchable by any means. Wasn’t like UVA basketball

 

[Poisoned Slice]

And that's a wrap.

 

[Kralingen]

Idk about all that my man that era had some great nba finals . Pistons Spurs Celtics Lakers was top notch stuff. Was a different era but not unwatchable by any means. Wasn’t like UVA basketball

it was high quality defensive tactical basketball but the days of 12 points a quarter were definitely an eye sore. The spacing and general understanding of offensive principles back then was sorely lacking compared to today. Lot of big lugs doing slow post moves and iso jumpers. It’s better than 140-135 I guess, but still not ideal.

The tension of getting a bucket in such a low scoring game made for great entertainment. Like the 08 G7 is one of the most dramatic games ever but was simultaneously an ugly watch

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

it was high quality defensive tactical basketball but the days of 12 points a quarter were definitely an eye sore. The spacing and general understanding of offensive principles back then was sorely lacking compared to today. Lot of big lugs doing slow post moves and iso jumpers. It’s better than 140-135 I guess, but still not ideal.

The tension of getting a bucket in such a low scoring game made for great entertainment. Like the 08 G7 is one of the most dramatic games ever but was simultaneously an ugly watch

Jahlil Okafor crying he was an era too late

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Jahlil Okafor crying he was an era too late

Now he's coming to takeover Man Utd.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

But anyways back to NBA live for me. Hope to play for an hour or so later. The ''Vinsanity'' finishing trait is so hot. Exciting times when my player levels up.

Currently using LeBron dribble pack version 1 because he is the first you can unlock after the basic dribbling. Managed a blow by or 2.

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

 

[TheFifthSet]

Trust me playa. You're spoiled beyond belief.

Go have a look at some of the 2004-2008 Finals. Gaze at the box scores and the totals. We're talking 88-68, 79-75, teams failing to crack 80 and even 70 regularly.

That was what we watched growing up. This, this is paradise in comparison.

oh man, tell me about it.

‘04 finals featured Prime Kobe, Prime Shaq, Malone, Payton, Billups and great role players but the two teams combined for 174 ppg. 07 finalists combined for 167. Brutal slogs those games. I think the ‘04 Pistons went like 50 consecutive games holding their opponents under 100.

 

[NonP]

Yo kids, I'll return with a (post)season wrap-up eventually but let's do a poll first: should I (or anyone else) keep creating a new thread for each of the following seasons or should we stick to just one for all NBA action/news a la "The TT Football Club"? Maybe such a thread already exists but I find it somewhat baffling that the second most popular sport (both worldwide and on TTW, apparently) doesn't have an all-encompassing one dedicated to its premier league, hence the Q.

 

[travlerajm]

Yo kids, I'll return with a (post)season wrap-up eventually but let's do a poll first: should I (or anyone else) keep creating a new thread for each of the following seasons or should we stick to just one for all NBA action/news a la "The TT Football Club"? Maybe such a thread already exists but I find it somewhat baffling that the second most popular sport (both worldwide and on TTW, apparently) doesn't have an all-encompassing one dedicated to its premier league, hence the Q.

I say start a new thread each season, with links in the op to previous chapters so that history is still accessible.

 

[travlerajm]

Question of the day.

Monty Williams gets fired from his job last month because his team underperformed in the playoffs. A few weeks later, he gets awarded the richest contract in nba coaching history, $78+ million.

Does that mean I’m in the wrong profession?

 

[Larry Duff]

Jokic is the greatest Serbian athlete.

Murray is the 2nd greatest Murray.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

 

[Poisoned Slice]

They didn't even get his position right. lol Damn, now we know.

yeah, yeah,I know centre can play as power forward. Still funny though.

 

[marc45]

NBA Finals ratings down from 2022; playoffs up

While TV ratings for the NBA Finals were slightly down compared with 2022, ABC, ESPN and TNT announced it averaged 5.47 million viewers per game during the playoffs, making it the most-watched playoffs in five years.

www.espn.com

 

[Kralingen]

YES FINALLY

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1669705484226510848

The reign of terror is finally over. The worst owner in the NBA has at long last been deposed.

 

[Biotic]

YES FINALLY

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1669705484226510848

The reign of terror is finally over. The worst owner in the NBA has at long last been deposed.

Why exactly? I thought he gave them back their name.

 

[Kralingen]

Why exactly? I thought he gave them back their name.

0 playoff series wins since 2002
423-600 record
Zero division titles
Broke .500 only 3 times

By all accounts he has been the least successful owner in NBA history since the 1950s. No other owner has that poor of a record. After 13 years there are no more excuses. It is his franchise, he has molded my team in his image and his alone.

-Ridiculous cheapskate, to a fault, refused to pay competitive salary to execs and would never dream of going to the luxury tax
-traded players and picks for “cash considerations” because he’s such a tightwad
-Constantly meddled in draft and personnel decisions, consistently made the wrong ones

Above all else, refused to trust smart people to run the franchise and let them do their jobs. Appointed yes man after yes man, waffled on direction of the team, wouldn’t commit either to a rebuild or to a playoff push, and fired coaches and execs rather than be told he was wrong. And failed at every single turn.

A horrible ownership job top to bottom.

 

[Kralingen]

Michael Jordan was truly the Michael Jordan of being an awful NBA owner, I’ll give him that.

 

[marc45]

Ja suspended 25 games

 

[Biotic]

0 playoff series wins since 2002
423-600 record
Zero division titles
Broke .500 only 3 times

By all accounts he has been the least successful owner in NBA history since the 1950s. No other owner has that poor of a record. After 13 years there are no more excuses. It is his franchise, he has molded my team in his image and his alone.

-Ridiculous cheapskate, to a fault, refused to pay competitive salary to execs and would never dream of going to the luxury tax
-traded players and picks for “cash considerations” because he’s such a tightwad
-Constantly meddled in draft and personnel decisions, consistently made the wrong ones

Above all else, refused to trust smart people to run the franchise and let them do their jobs. Appointed yes man after yes man, waffled on direction of the team, wouldn’t commit either to a rebuild or to a playoff push, and fired coaches and execs rather than be told he was wrong. And failed at every single turn.

A horrible ownership job top to bottom.

Well i thought it's not that bad as Bobcats started from scratch, but when you put it that way, it's been 20 years and yeah it sounds pretty bad.

I remember when they drafted Emeka Okafor back in 2004 (a MUG draft compared to previous 2003 monsterdraft), it was supposed to be the start of something nice. Shame they settled for a "filler team" role.

 

[RS]

0 playoff series wins since 2002
423-600 record
Zero division titles
Broke .500 only 3 times

By all accounts he has been the least successful owner in NBA history since the 1950s. No other owner has that poor of a record. After 13 years there are no more excuses. It is his franchise, he has molded my team in his image and his alone.

-Ridiculous cheapskate, to a fault, refused to pay competitive salary to execs and would never dream of going to the luxury tax
-traded players and picks for “cash considerations” because he’s such a tightwad
-Constantly meddled in draft and personnel decisions, consistently made the wrong ones

Above all else, refused to trust smart people to run the franchise and let them do their jobs. Appointed yes man after yes man, waffled on direction of the team, wouldn’t commit either to a rebuild or to a playoff push, and fired coaches and execs rather than be told he was wrong. And failed at every single turn.

A horrible ownership job top to bottom.

ouch

 

[Kralingen]

Well i thought it's not that bad as Bobcats started from scratch, but when you put it that way, it's been 20 years and yeah it sounds pretty bad.

I remember when they drafted Emeka Okafor back in 2004 (a MUG draft compared to previous 2003 monsterdraft), it was supposed to be the start of something nice. Shame they settled for a "filler team" role.

To be fair to MJ he was far from the only issue. I mean, more than anything draft luck is the true scourge of the franchisees fortunes.

2004: take Okafor #2 behind Dwight Howard
2007: get #3 pick behind Kevin Durant, take goofy 80s porn actor Adam Morrison
2012: after worst season in NBA history, get #2 pick (Anthony Davis was #1) to pick the man with the literal worst shooting form in NBA history, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2013: select CODY ZELLER 4th overall
2023: get second pick (one behind generational talent Victor Wembanyama)

So arguably we were one pick away from greatness 4 separate times and lottery luck completely screwed the franchise.

But a lot of it is mismanagement. The franchise loved (first team all NBA) Devin Booker but MJ intervened and forced them to select big white lug Frank Kaminsky in 2014. True story this has been confirmed by multiple sources that MJ intervened. They traded (first team all NBA) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on draft night for domestic abuser Miles Bridges who was suspended all 2022-23. There’s a really bad culture here too, Bridges, Malik Monk, and James Bouknight have all had serious legal issues and drug problems since being drafted to Charlotte in the past 5 years.

MJ is still a minority owner which is fine. I just don’t want him making any basketball decisions.

 

[Biotic]

To be fair to MJ he was far from the only issue. I mean, more than anything draft luck is the true scourge of the franchisees fortunes.

2004: take Okafor #2 behind Dwight Howard
2007: get #3 pick behind Kevin Durant, take goofy 80s porn actor Adam Morrison
2012: after worst season in NBA history, get #2 pick (Anthony Davis was #1) to pick the man with the literal worst shooting form in NBA history, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
2013: select CODY ZELLER 4th overall
2023: get second pick (one behind generational talent Victor Wembanyama)

So arguably we were one pick away from greatness 4 separate times and lottery luck completely screwed the franchise.

But a lot of it is mismanagement. The franchise loved (first team all NBA) Devin Booker but MJ intervened and forced them to select big white lug Frank Kaminsky in 2014. True story this has been confirmed by multiple sources that MJ intervened. They traded (first team all NBA) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on draft night for domestic abuser Miles Bridges who was suspended all 2022-23. There’s a really bad culture here too, Bridges, Malik Monk, and James Bouknight have all had serious legal issues and drug problems since being drafted to Charlotte in the past 5 years.

MJ is still a minority owner which is fine. I just don’t want him making any basketball decisions.

Lol now may be the time to post "stop he's already dead" gif.

But yeah, sometimes you get screwed over no matter what. I remember this great young Portland Trailblazers roster with Lamarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, etc. I really thought they were gonna wreak havok all over NBA some day (i know i did on NBA live), but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Injuries screwed them, only Aldridge was able to have a (nearly) ATG career, but no ring.

 

[travlerajm]

Michael Jordan was truly the Michael Jordan of being an awful NBA owner, I’ll give him that.

At what point does that start to cut into his GOAT case as a player? I mean, at least LeBron won a few titles as de-facto GM.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I want to be an international pimp.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Meanwhile... David Silva loves Oasis more than Kareem loves Jazz.

 

[fundrazer]

Story on ESPN is that Phoenix is finalizing a trade for Beal? How the hell is that gonna work? Like what salary are they gonna have left?

 

[travlerajm]

Story on ESPN is that Phoenix is finalizing a trade for Beal? How the hell is that gonna work? Like what salary are they gonna have left?

I used to marvel at how some guys show up at the top of the list on the ESPN Real Plus Minus stat every single year (LeBron, Butler) while other guys manage to be at the bottom of the list with negative rating every year (Beal). The stat seems to correlate with playoff success.

 

[Ronaldo]

I want to be an international pimp.

Heard Pimpin' Ain't Easy

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Another day, another Zion story.

 

[fundrazer]

Another day, another Zion story.

Some say the NBA is a soap opera for guys

Curious to see what happens before the draft. Potentially some big shakeups, seems like Dame is the big one still in play, but we will see.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Adam Silver made the call to get lady Moriah's Twitter suspended.

 

[Ronaldo]

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I take it everybody is excited for this guy. Been doing some reading up on him and heard about the comparisons with greats of the game. No pressure or anything. haha