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Topic: 2019 NBA Pre-Season - page 311. (Read 921455 times)

hero member
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Live with peace and enjoy life!
February 23, 2024, 01:14:45 PM
I'm seeing news articles today saying the DeMarcus Cousins has officially retired from the NBA.  There was talk that he had been trying out with the Golden State Warriors to be a backup center, but it seems those talks have died out.  I would've liked to have seen Cousins have more success in his career.  He was an absolute beast in his time with the Sacramento Kings and I think him and Anthony Davis would have surprised people with their postseason success had DeMarcus not gone down with an injury that then plagued him the rest of his career.  In his prime, he was a truly special player.
That's sad news but wasn't surprising at all since he hasn't been getting contracts in the NBA anymore. Who would forget what he has accomplished with the Sacramento Kings during his prime? He was also a double-double machine back then. However, just like other players in the NBA, particularly Derrick Rose, injuries have ended their promising careers prematurely.
donator
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February 23, 2024, 12:57:58 PM
I'm seeing news articles today saying the DeMarcus Cousins has officially retired from the NBA.  There was talk that he had been trying out with the Golden State Warriors to be a backup center, but it seems those talks have died out.  I would've liked to have seen Cousins have more success in his career.  He was an absolute beast in his time with the Sacramento Kings and I think him and Anthony Davis would have surprised people with their postseason success had DeMarcus not gone down with an injury that then plagued him the rest of his career.  In his prime, he was a truly special player.
sr. member
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February 23, 2024, 10:14:04 AM
The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.

Yep, it was indeed a disappointing performance by Thompson. Nevertheless, let me remind you that he scored 35 points in the previous game against the Jazz. So, I think he's not as bad as it may seem at first glance, although his role on the team has really become less important compared to what it used to be.

He might score 35 points but struggle in his next game; it's not what the Warriors are looking for. They want to get the same Klay Thompson who can back up Curry every time their main star player will struggle. It's true that his role is becoming less important, and that might affect his next contract with the team since he was expecting a good salary, but with his current contribution, for sure, the management would not be able to give that. He still has the remaining of the season to prove himself, especially in the playoffs; the Game 6 Klay should come alive so he can keep his value.

It's his last chance, but we've seen enough from him since last season when he was also struggling. It was only when the Warriors started to limit Klay that they got better, going 8-2 in their last 10 games. This is quite new to me since they weren't getting those stats earlier this season. The strategy is straightforward: give Klay more minutes if he is hot, or bench him if he is struggling. It doesn't matter if that will affect his confidence; he has to understand that he isn't the same anymore and face the reality to contribute to the team effectively.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 10:04:22 AM
A few days ago, Jack Vaughn has been fired by the Brooklyn Nets. This I guess is the new meta for the teams out there when their teams don't perform well.
While it is a big matter for their team to have a good coach, it's always been the resort of most teams when they're underperforming, to have a coach gets fired.
Yeah, crappy team management.
The question here is: Is the Brooklyn Nets playing badly? No. Despite the frequent trades, player changes, and injuries, Jack Vaughn still found a way to put the Nets in the 11th rank of the East. He somehow made a way to make those newly acquired players play as a team. It's the management that is shitty for making this decision.
Plus, they don't really have a star or a leader in their roster. I mean who among those players will respect Ben Simmons as their leader? I don't think they will. He is young and definitely not the leader type. I doubt it will also be Bridges, Johnson, or even Thomas. That team doesn't have chemistry to start with, they are playing isolation games but they can still win games. It's not far from what is happening in the Washington Wizards team.
It's a management failure, fans know it, Brooklyn viewers know it, and they cannot just wash their hands after firing a head coach.
Now they are being blown out by the Raptors—the Raptors which is also restructuring their roster.
These teams management are going to do this, yeah, they've got all what it takes to do some changes.
But are we going to see this from time to time when they just think that their team isn't doing well? It is what it is for them and the new meta for these managements that they're going to fire the coaches is just so absurd. There should be a federation of coaches of at least giving them the ending season before they get fire.
legendary
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February 23, 2024, 09:59:00 AM
The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.

Yep, it was indeed a disappointing performance by Thompson. Nevertheless, let me remind you that he scored 35 points in the previous game against the Jazz. So, I think he's not as bad as it may seem at first glance, although his role on the team has really become less important compared to what it used to be.

He might score 35 points but struggle in his next game; it's not what the Warriors are looking for. They want to get the same Klay Thompson who can back up Curry every time their main star player will struggle. It's true that his role is becoming less important, and that might affect his next contract with the team since he was expecting a good salary, but with his current contribution, for sure, the management would not be able to give that. He still has the remaining of the season to prove himself, especially in the playoffs; the Game 6 Klay should come alive so he can keep his value.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 09:31:38 AM
Luka and Booker are creating another interesting rivalry. Both of their teams are also tied 6th place in the west. Dallas seems to be back as a serious contender in the top ranking since they're now 7-0 after the return of Kyrie.

The rivalry is already over between them. It's already concluded. Booker is nothing against Luka, my apology to those Booker fans here.

A rivalry is supposed to be equal and match but there are lots of times already where Luka eats Booker alive. That's not a rivalry anymore if the other party can't even bounce back and regain dominance over the other party. Regardless of who's their teammates in the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns since their first rivalry started, it's already clear that LUKA > BOOKER. No hate.

"Everybody acting tough when they up.” Cool
Maybe Booker vs Luka is not even a question at the moment and I do agree that Luka Doncic is FAR better player without a doubt. But also Suns looks to be a better team than Dallas as well. Booker is not alone, he has plenty of greats with him, including Kevin Durant, which was a shocking move to be fair but he has been there. Dallas has nobody aside from Luka, I mean they do have Irving but that dude has been quite interesting lately so I am not sure if he is helping as much as he is hurting the locker room as well.

Booker hasn't really carried his team yet. The Suns before were a struggling team; they only improved when CP3 joined, and that progress continued when Durant joined and CP3 was traded. However, Luka is different, as right from the start, he was already the one carrying the Mavericks. Even with Kyrie joining him, it hasn't changed much; it only happened when Washington and Gafford were recently traded.

I can say that this team now looks like a championship team. They are on a hot streak, and we don't know when that will be broken.
All in all, Dallas needs to build a better team around Luka to have a chance, that dude could eb the star of a championship team, only if you build a good squad around him as well, and find a good coach for him.
I think they have already built that team now, and with this hot winning streak, that already proves they succeeded.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 09:22:42 AM
Luka and Booker are creating another interesting rivalry. Both of their teams are also tied 6th place in the west. Dallas seems to be back as a serious contender in the top ranking since they're now 7-0 after the return of Kyrie.

The rivalry is already over between them. It's already concluded. Booker is nothing against Luka, my apology to those Booker fans here.

A rivalry is supposed to be equal and match but there are lots of times already where Luka eats Booker alive. That's not a rivalry anymore if the other party can't even bounce back and regain dominance over the other party. Regardless of who's their teammates in the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns since their first rivalry started, it's already clear that LUKA > BOOKER. No hate.

"Everybody acting tough when they up.” Cool
Maybe Booker vs Luka is not even a question at the moment and I do agree that Luka Doncic is FAR better player without a doubt. But also Suns looks to be a better team than Dallas as well. Booker is not alone, he has plenty of greats with him, including Kevin Durant, which was a shocking move to be fair but he has been there. Dallas has nobody aside from Luka, I mean they do have Irving but that dude has been quite interesting lately so I am not sure if he is helping as much as he is hurting the locker room as well.

All in all, Dallas needs to build a better team around Luka to have a chance, that dude could eb the star of a championship team, only if you build a good squad around him as well, and find a good coach for him.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 08:44:06 AM
How about the games between the Warriors and the Lakers, Curry point in a show with he wax hot in the 1st quarter and that no look pass for Wiggins for a dunk. No Lebron though, as he was rested. And obviously, the Warriors is being led by AD. But the Warriors had a lot of weapons here, Kuminga and Wiggins and Draymond anchoring their defense. All the Warriors that was fielded in this game score, with Trayce Jackson-Davis 17 points. The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.

No Lebron James, so it's a easy win for the Warriors, and even if Klay struggled, they played on their homecourt and so the second stringers are very comfortable like Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody.

And again, if Curry is shooting that hot in the first half, it's very hard to defeat the Warriors except for their early games wherein they choke after leading a comfortable lead. But not in this games as the Lakers starting unit has also struggled. So it's a good win for them. They are 2 games above .500 but still in the 10th place in the West behind the Lakers.

Warriors are very unstoppable now. Again, the Lakers struggle with their 3-point shooting, unable to match the Warriors' shooting. Without LeBron, that's a huge loss for the team since the Lakers are just like missing Curry on their team as their leader. It's safe to say that the Warriors had figured out how to stay consistent in winning. Even when Thompson struggles, Curry remains with his hot shooting, and the coaching staff makes the right adjustments to use more talent and limit Thompson's minutes. I bet, in the next game, Thompson will be GOATing as that has been the trend so far for him.
legendary
Activity: 3108
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February 23, 2024, 08:40:58 AM
The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.

Yep, it was indeed a disappointing performance by Thompson. Nevertheless, let me remind you that he scored 35 points in the previous game against the Jazz. So, I think he's not as bad as it may seem at first glance, although his role on the team has really become less important compared to what it used to be.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 07:34:13 AM
How about the games between the Warriors and the Lakers, Curry point in a show with he wax hot in the 1st quarter and that no look pass for Wiggins for a dunk. No Lebron though, as he was rested. And obviously, the Warriors is being led by AD. But the Warriors had a lot of weapons here, Kuminga and Wiggins and Draymond anchoring their defense. All the Warriors that was fielded in this game score, with Trayce Jackson-Davis 17 points. The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.

No Lebron James, so it's a easy win for the Warriors, and even if Klay struggled, they played on their homecourt and so the second stringers are very comfortable like Jackson-Davis and Moses Moody.

And again, if Curry is shooting that hot in the first half, it's very hard to defeat the Warriors except for their early games wherein they choke after leading a comfortable lead. But not in this games as the Lakers starting unit has also struggled. So it's a good win for them. They are 2 games above .500 but still in the 10th place in the West behind the Lakers.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 05:33:01 AM
How about the games between the Warriors and the Lakers, Curry point in a show with he wax hot in the 1st quarter and that no look pass for Wiggins for a dunk. No Lebron though, as he was rested. And obviously, the Warriors is being led by AD. But the Warriors had a lot of weapons here, Kuminga and Wiggins and Draymond anchoring their defense. All the Warriors that was fielded in this game score, with Trayce Jackson-Davis 17 points. The only downside in this game is that Klay Thompson continue to struggle with his shooting, just scoring 3 points in 28 minutes.
hero member
Activity: 2632
Merit: 833
February 23, 2024, 05:27:12 AM
I'm glad that we're getting some great matchups the first day back after all star break.  The matchup I'm most excited for is the Dallas Mavericks vs the Phoenix Suns.  Luka owned Booker in the post season a few years back and ever since then there has been bad blood between those two.  Luka had been spanking Booker each time they met, but Booker and the Suns got the best of the Mavericks the last time they met.  Tonight's game is on TNT and I'll probably try to catch at least the ending of it if possible.  This is my favorite rivalry in the NBA right now.  They genuinely dislike each other.

Yes, and most likely that's why they got Durant to really help Bookier in offense But Dallas also had Kyrie so definitely this is a great match up after the All Star. Both are competitive, but I think the Suns need to proved that they can take the Mavericks otherwise Luka will continue to dominate them. It's more on KD leading the Suns in this game.

Of course Booker will be there, him and Luka can go one on one if they like. But the key here is KD for me.

So far the odds are very close, Mavericks slight favorite to win in this game.

It was still Booker who lead the team, KD help a lot, but the bench of the Mavericks put in a show with those 3 point show and Luka, dominated his favorite team the Phoenix Suns. Although it was really very close, and even if the Mavericks take that lead, Booker answered with the help of KD to make a comeback. But Luka though, he just look the game very easy for us basketball fans, nothing spectacular with his moves, but it was very effective and his basketball IQ is off the charts. The are one of the hottest teams right now and I think gonna be him and Jokic for the MVP this season.
hero member
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February 23, 2024, 05:21:45 AM
But now, centers are different, they are now shooting from the outside, making 3's. And it's probably the blame on the European's like Dirk early 2000's when they came and then shots from 3's and thus evolved as we have seen Jokic or even Embiid attempting to shoot from the outside.

Dirk has played almost his entire career at the power forward position rather than the center position. So, I don't think he should be blamed for the current generation of centers playing more outside the paint.
Honestly, I somehow think that the NBA will sooner or later come to the point where centers who can dominate the paint will be valued again rather than those who can shoot 3-pointers.

It's just for semantics mate, what I mean is that Dirk started the whole "big guy" shooting from the outside. We haven't seen that kind of players before, center or power forward who's shooting deep.

But now, every center, like Joel and Jokic or ever power forward like Giannis shooting from that region. I'm not sure about that, just look at the Warriors, they have a legit center in Looney, but it was Draymond who play that center position for them or at least guard the tallest player in the opposite team. There could still be centers in the league, but we might not see what Shaq did during his prime or even Dwight Howard who completely dominated the paint and then intimidate and block shots.
sr. member
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February 23, 2024, 03:51:16 AM
Luka and Booker are creating another interesting rivalry. Both of their teams are also tied 6th place in the west. Dallas seems to be back as a serious contender in the top ranking since they're now 7-0 after the return of Kyrie.

The rivalry is already over between them. It's already concluded. Booker is nothing against Luka, my apology to those Booker fans here.

A rivalry is supposed to be equal and match but there are lots of times already where Luka eats Booker alive. That's not a rivalry anymore if the other party can't even bounce back and regain dominance over the other party. Regardless of who's their teammates in the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns since their first rivalry started, it's already clear that LUKA > BOOKER. No hate.

"Everybody acting tough when they up.” Cool
hero member
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The Martian Child
February 23, 2024, 03:33:14 AM
I'm glad that we're getting some great matchups the first day back after all star break.  The matchup I'm most excited for is the Dallas Mavericks vs the Phoenix Suns.  Luka owned Booker in the post season a few years back and ever since then there has been bad blood between those two.  Luka had been spanking Booker each time they met, but Booker and the Suns got the best of the Mavericks the last time they met.  Tonight's game is on TNT and I'll probably try to catch at least the ending of it if possible.  This is my favorite rivalry in the NBA right now.  They genuinely dislike each other.

Yes, and most likely that's why they got Durant to really help Bookier in offense But Dallas also had Kyrie so definitely this is a great match up after the All Star. Both are competitive, but I think the Suns need to proved that they can take the Mavericks otherwise Luka will continue to dominate them. It's more on KD leading the Suns in this game.

Of course Booker will be there, him and Luka can go one on one if they like. But the key here is KD for me.

So far the odds are very close, Mavericks slight favorite to win in this game.

And Luka owned Booker again as the Dallas Mavericks beat the visiting Suns. Booker should pay respect to his dad. Cheesy Kyrie was able to help Luka this time while Bradley Beal was not there to help Booker and Durant. Durant made his own contribution but his threes were not making it most of the time.

Luka and Booker are creating another interesting rivalry. Both of their teams are also tied 6th place in the west. Dallas seems to be back as a serious contender in the top ranking since they're now 7-0 after the return of Kyrie.
donator
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February 23, 2024, 03:32:43 AM
That stat line for Jokic was crazy tonight. He ended with 21 points, 19 rebounds, 15 assists, and shot 100% from the field. Thats got to be one of the best stat lines of the year, possibly up there with an all time efficient game. That dude is going to carry Denver to another title if the rest of the NBA isn’t careful.
sr. member
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February 23, 2024, 03:31:22 AM
Great game from Luka Doncic tonight. He got the better of Devon Booker and nearly got himself a triple double but missed it by a single rebound. Still it was enough to get the W and put this rivalry back in the hands of the Mavericks. I really hope we get to see these two teams face off in the playoffs.

Kevin Durant also made the news confronting a fan that called him a bitch before the game.


I just want to express my disappointment to the referees right now. I just saw a video on this game regarding a referee giving a technical on Luka just because he couldn't get the ball when he passed it to him. I mean it's just ridiculous how these referees are giving technical fouls to these players already, and yet they don't even know which are fouls, and which are not. We know already that we've seen controversial calls this season, and it seems like nothing is changing or being punished for these wrong calls.

As for the video of Durant confronting the fan, I guess it's good that he confronted both of them because they forgot how to respect the player. It's good that both of them didn't kicked out of the arena because of that. I just hope that incidents like that will not happen in the future again.

It sounds that Luka throw the ball to the referee that's why the ref call a technical but I think this is fine since the ref can eject him on the game and glad it didn't happen. Some says its unprofessional act towards officials. Many people don't like to see that sequence but it already happen and complaining will not change anything. Maybe next time Luka should avoid doing that since NBA refs is so soft nowadays and they are killing the fun for some crazy decisions they call to a player.

I also understand why Durant confront that fan since sometimes they are to much for supporting their team and they forget the word respect. People just forget that they are their just to have fun and not to get in trouble with someone.
hero member
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Wheel of Whales 🐳
February 23, 2024, 02:44:18 AM
He got the better of his son, Booker. Cheesy

An almost triple-double stat with 41-9-11. Irving also helped him on offense scoring 29 points. Booker on the other hand got 35 points while KD got 23, but I will not focus on the stats. I just want to express my disappointment to the referees right now. I just saw a video on this game regarding a referee giving a technical on Luka just because he couldn't get the ball when he passed it to him. I mean it's just ridiculous how these referees are giving technical fouls to these players already, and yet they don't even know which are fouls, and which are not. We know already that we've seen controversial calls this season, and it seems like nothing is changing or being punished for these wrong calls.

As for the video of Durant confronting the fan, I guess it's good that he confronted both of them because they forgot how to respect the player. It's good that both of them didn't kicked out of the arena because of that. I just hope that incidents like that will not happen in the future again.
[/quote]

Dallas really looks more and more nasty.
Did you guys see the handles from Kyrie in this game? It's like watch the and1 mixtape at times!! So much time to watch and it feels like Kyrie and Luke are clicking more and more.
As I said several days ago after the trade, they will be a contender in the west with this lineup if they stay healthy. Some didn't believe me but with performances like that it will open their eyes.

If you have 2 allstar caliber point guards that can take over the game, have outside shooting and now also added inside players that can give you offensive rebounds and make your D strong, that's all you need to get deep into the playoffs.
I really have high hopes for them this year, they are definitely one of the top 3 fun teams to watch!!

legendary
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February 23, 2024, 02:39:17 AM
Great game from Luka Doncic tonight. He got the better of Devon Booker and nearly got himself a triple double but missed it by a single rebound. Still it was enough to get the W and put this rivalry back in the hands of the Mavericks. I really hope we get to see these two teams face off in the playoffs.

Kevin Durant also made the news confronting a fan that called him a bitch before the game.
He got the better of his son, Booker. Cheesy

An almost triple-double stat with 41-9-11. Irving also helped him on offense scoring 29 points. Booker on the other hand got 35 points while KD got 23, but I will not focus on the stats. I just want to express my disappointment to the referees right now. I just saw a video on this game regarding a referee giving a technical on Luka just because he couldn't get the ball when he passed it to him. I mean it's just ridiculous how these referees are giving technical fouls to these players already, and yet they don't even know which are fouls, and which are not. We know already that we've seen controversial calls this season, and it seems like nothing is changing or being punished for these wrong calls.

As for the video of Durant confronting the fan, I guess it's good that he confronted both of them because they forgot how to respect the player. It's good that both of them didn't kicked out of the arena because of that. I just hope that incidents like that will not happen in the future again.
legendary
Activity: 2814
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February 23, 2024, 12:07:16 AM
I just watched part of the 2024 all-star mini-movie that NBA released. I could not finish the whole video but I can tell that they really know how to present it in a way that someone who never watched the whole thing would think it's actually that good hehe. Shameless.

I think the poll in the OP needs to be updated to something like which teams will qualify for the playoffs first.

They are very good at video editing. The music they use, the close-ups in the video, and the fun moments of the players are all beautifully featured in the video. But the quality of basketball, defensive levels, and missed shots are not included in these videos. It's fun when we see it in the video, but it's definitely not like that in reality Cheesy
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