General NBA thread

[Henry]

A Nuggets upset of the Thunder would be the justice Sonics fans so richly deserve!

[jgb191]

If you're one of those sports fans that enjoy seeing the home crowd leave the game disappointed; then you must be loving the last couple of weeks of this year's playoffs.  The visiting team is undefeated in the second round so far at 5-0; and since April 24th: 19 road wins to 11 home wins.  In the first round, the Warriors/Rockets series finished with two straight road victories as did the Grizzlies/Thunder and the Heat/Cavs series, and if that wasn't enough, the Pistons/Knicks series posted only one home win out of their six-game series.

[Ted$8roadFan]

The Cavs, Celtics and T-Wolves all won. Some semblance of normalcy (among favored teams) has been restored.

[NWI_Irish96]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

[SEWIGuy]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

I believe you mentioned this last year, but this has happened before. And most people going to an NBA game aren't taking hotel rooms - they are usually just coming from their house.

[JayhawkCO]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

I believe you complained about this last year, but this has happened before. And most people going to an NBA game aren't taking hotel rooms - they are usually just coming from their house.

I don't see this as a complaint by any stretch. Maybe just a heads up to any Boston or New York fan that might want to travel.

[SEWIGuy]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

I believe you complained about this last year, but this has happened before. And most people going to an NBA game aren't taking hotel rooms - they are usually just coming from their house.

I don't see this as a complaint by any stretch. Maybe just a heads up to any Boston or New York fan that might want to travel.

Yes, I changed my wording.

[NWI_Irish96]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

I believe you complained about this last year, but this has happened before. And most people going to an NBA game aren't taking hotel rooms - they are usually just coming from their house.

I don't see this as a complaint by any stretch. Maybe just a heads up to any Boston or New York fan that might want to travel.

Definitely not a complaint. I book my room for race weekend a year in advance. Save up points so I don't have to pay > $400/night.

[Henry]

Looking back, if the Pacers beat the Cavs, they'll have a big connection to both potential conference finals opponents, as with the Celtics, Larry Bird is their shared connection (played in Boston, coached and worked the front office in Indy), and they could reignite an intense rivalry with the Knicks that dates back 30 years, when it was Reggie Miller taking on Patrick Ewing seemingly every year.

[NWI_Irish96]

Looking back, if the Pacers beat the Cavs, they'll have a big connection to both potential conference finals opponents, as with the Celtics, Larry Bird is their shared connection (played in Boston, coached and worked the front office in Indy), and they could reignite an intense rivalry with the Knicks that dates back 30 years, when it was Reggie Miller taking on Patrick Ewing seemingly every year.

Also the Celtics President is an Indy native and former Butler coach.

[jgb191]

For the first time ever in franchise history -- the Dallas Mavericks have won the NBA Lottery!   

Finally the Mavs join the other two Texas triangle teams to win it.  Spurs won in 1987 (Robinson), 1997 (Duncan), and 2023 (Wemby); and the Rockets won their only one in 2002 (Yao Ming).  NOTE: the 1984 draft (selecting Hakeem Olajuwon #1) doesn't count as it was the last draft before the Lottery was commissioned the following year in 1985.  Also of note, this is the first time ever that the Spurs have the #2 pick in their team history.

It's going to be a very intriguing summer with the real possibility of Giannis perhaps coming to Texas (either Rockets or Spurs), plus Cooper Flag coming to Dallas.

[Max Rockatansky]

For the first time ever in franchise history -- the Dallas Mavericks have won the NBA Lottery!   

Finally the Mavs join the other two Texas triangle teams to win it.  Spurs won in 1987 (Robinson), 1997 (Duncan), and 2023 (Wemby); and the Rockets won their only one in 2002 (Yao Ming).  NOTE: the 1984 draft (selecting Hakeem Olajuwon #1) doesn't count as it was the last draft before the Lottery was commissioned the following year in 1985.  Also of note, this is the first time ever that the Spurs have the #2 pick in their team history.

It's going to be a very intriguing summer with the real possibility of Giannis perhaps coming to Texas (either Rockets or Spurs), plus Cooper Flag coming to Dallas.

Sweet the Mavericks can just trade the #1 pick away to the Lakers also.

[mgk920]

Pacers now up 3-1. If they finish off the Cavs, their first home game in the conference finals (Game 3) will be Sunday 5/25 at 8pm ET. Good luck finding a hotel room.

Will it be anything like race week in late may?

Mike

[jgb191]

I tuned in to the Pacers/Knicks game just in time for the ending of madness with about four minutes left in the 4th Q and the Knicks with a 14-point lead, probably the same time when some fans tuned out of the game thinking Game One was over by then.  Then Aaron Nesmith caught fire making several three-pointer in a row to close the gap, and then Tyrese making a game-saving basket as the 4th Q expired (initially thought to be a game-winning three-pointer) sending the game into OT.  Tyrese them preceded to reprise the choke gesture (reprising the classic moment of Reggie Miller's gesture to Spike Lee).  The Pacers closed the game on a 13-6 scoring differential.

On a breaking news note:  SGA beats out the Joker for MVP.  I mentioned this before:  I'm a Joker fan, so double disappointment.....the Nuggets season got closed out by the Thunder, and Jokic got out-voted for MVP.

[Bobby5280]

Jokić deserved to get out-voted for MVP. SGA clearly had a better season.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Instead of exorcising the ghost of Reggie Miller, the Knicks resurrected it.

[JayhawkCO]

Jokić deserved to get out-voted for MVP. SGA clearly had a better season.

I'm fine with SGA winning it, but, in your opinion, why do you say SGA had a clearly better season?

PPG: SGA #1, Joker #3
Rebounds: SGA >#50, Joker #3
Assists: SGA #14, Joker #2
Steals: SGA #5, Joker #2

And SGA clearly has a better supporting cast around him. Couldn't find the stats off-hand on my phone, but the +/- without Jokic on the court is MUCH worse than without SGA on the court.

[Big John]

I had to Google SGA. Showing how much I watch the NBA.

[jgb191]

Jokić deserved to get out-voted for MVP. SGA clearly had a better season.

The Thunder had the better season as a team; they have a lot more loaded roster.  But since MVP is an individual achievement award, Joker, and Giannis, had the better individual performance this season.

I think if you took each MVP candidate off their respective teams -- The Thunder would still be a playoff team (assuming everybody else is healthy); The Bucks and Nuggets would be lottery teams (in the Bucks case, probably the worst record in the NBA without Giannis).  One might even make a case for Jimmy Butler -- the Warriors would also have been lottery bound if they hadn't made the mid-season trade for him.

I had Joker #1, Giannis #2, and SGA #3 in my opinion of MVP worth.

I could be wrong, but SGA might be the first Canadian MVP in NBA History; I don't know of anyone else from Canada who had won an MVP before SGA.

[Bobby5280]

Copied from ESPN's article about SGA's MVP win:

Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the floor and also averaged 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. The only other player in NBA history to average at least 30 points on 50% shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game in a season is Michael Jordan, who did it in 1987-88 and 1990-91 -- the seasons that he won the first two of his five MVPs.

[SEWIGuy]

Jokić deserved to get out-voted for MVP. SGA clearly had a better season.

The Thunder had the better season as a team; they have a lot more loaded roster.  But since MVP is an individual achievement award, Joker, and Giannis, had the better individual performance this season.

I think if you took each MVP candidate off their respective teams -- The Thunder would still be a playoff team (assuming everybody else is healthy); The Bucks and Nuggets would be lottery teams (in the Bucks case, probably the worst record in the NBA without Giannis).  One might even make a case for Jimmy Butler -- the Warriors would also have been lottery bound if they hadn't made the mid-season trade for him.

I had Joker #1, Giannis #2, and SGA #3 in my opinion of MVP worth.

I could be wrong, but SGA might be the first Canadian MVP in NBA History; I don't know of anyone else from Canada who had won an MVP before SGA.

Steve Nash is Canadian and won two MVPs.

[JayhawkCO]

Copied from ESPN's article about SGA's MVP win:

Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 32.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting from the floor and also averaged 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. The only other player in NBA history to average at least 30 points on 50% shooting, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1 block per game in a season is Michael Jordan, who did it in 1987-88 and 1990-91 -- the seasons that he won the first two of his five MVPs.

But cherry picking my own stats, Jokic is the FIRST player in history to be in the top 3 in the league in points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

[jgb191]

Jokić deserved to get out-voted for MVP. SGA clearly had a better season.

The Thunder had the better season as a team; they have a lot more loaded roster.  But since MVP is an individual achievement award, Joker, and Giannis, had the better individual performance this season.

I think if you took each MVP candidate off their respective teams -- The Thunder would still be a playoff team (assuming everybody else is healthy); The Bucks and Nuggets would be lottery teams (in the Bucks case, probably the worst record in the NBA without Giannis).  One might even make a case for Jimmy Butler -- the Warriors would also have been lottery bound if they hadn't made the mid-season trade for him.

I had Joker #1, Giannis #2, and SGA #3 in my opinion of MVP worth.

I could be wrong, but SGA might be the first Canadian MVP in NBA History; I don't know of anyone else from Canada who had won an MVP before SGA.

Steve Nash is Canadian and won two MVPs.

You're right and I forgot about him, probably because he wasn't the most popular choice for MVP in either of those years (Shaq in 2006 & Kobe in 2007).  Here's another fun fact:  This is the league's 79th season; only eleven (of 79) seasons the MVP went to players born outside the United States (Hakeem Olajuwon was the first in 1994), which means seven of those eleven outsiders were crowned in each of the seven years.  The last American-born MVP was James Harden back in 2018.   Furthermore, until SGA was crowned just now, the last six MVPs were born outside North America.

[Max Rockatansky]

Most of the best top tier players are now born outside the United States.

[SEWIGuy]

Most of the best top tier players are now born outside the United States.

Yeah the last time the all NBA first team was an American majority was 2020.  The US will still likely be winning Olympic gold medals because the ones born outside the US come from all different countries.