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CTIDANDREW

CTIDANDREW

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Imagine Red Auerbach telling Larry Bird that he was going to bench him in the second to last game of the season when the playoffs were still a realistic possibility to secure the "probable" not guaranteed 10th pick in the upcoming draft. What the Mavs did last week with Luka was just ridiculous. I understand the likelihood of them winning an NBA championship was astronomical, but just a sad state of affairs in the NBA when one of your global stars is being benched by his team to deliberately miss the playoffs.

The NBA playoffs are still great, but I will probably never care about the regular season again in my lifetime unless they drastically find a way to fix this systemic problem of (load management, tanking when playoffs are attainable, 1/4 of the league not even trying to win / make playoffs from the start of the season etc...)
 
NDdomer2

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CTIDANDREW said:
Imagine Red Auerbach telling Larry Bird that he was going to bench him in the second to last game of the season when the playoffs were still a realistic possibility to secure the "probable" not guaranteed 10th pick in the upcoming draft. What the Mavs did last week with Luka was just ridiculous. I understand the likelihood of them winning an NBA championship was astronomical, but just a sad state of affairs in the NBA when one of your global stars is being benched by his team to deliberately miss the playoffs.

The NBA playoffs are still great, but I will probably never care about the regular season again in my lifetime unless they drastically find a way to fix this systemic problem of (load management, tanking when playoffs are attainable, 1/4 of the league not even trying to win / make playoffs from the star of the season etc...)
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they benched damn near half the roster that game right?

Cubans a chump. Cries when he feels disadvantaged but purposefully tanks as well.
 
CTIDANDREW

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NDdomer2 said:
they benched damn near half the roster that game right?

Cubans a chump. Cries when he feels disadvantaged but purposefully tanks as well.
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Yep, from what I understand they only played Luka in the 1st quarter to appease the Slovenia contingent in the crowd that travelled from all over the globe to celebrate their national icon on "Slovenia Night"
If that wasn't the case he would have been a healthy scratch as well.
Just a joke.
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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CTIDANDREW said:
Imagine Red Auerbach telling Larry Bird that he was going to bench him in the second to last game of the season when the playoffs were still a realistic possibility to secure the "probable" not guaranteed 10th pick in the upcoming draft. What the Mavs did last week with Luka was just ridiculous. I understand the likelihood of them winning an NBA championship was astronomical, but just a sad state of affairs in the NBA when one of your global stars is being benched by his team to deliberately miss the playoffs.

The NBA playoffs are still great, but I will probably never care about the regular season again in my lifetime unless they drastically find a way to fix this systemic problem of (load management, tanking when playoffs are attainable, 1/4 of the league not even trying to win / make playoffs from the start of the season etc...)
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Larry Bird basically broke down in his 30s and severely hurt his back shoveling gravel doing his mother's driveway in French Lick, Indiana. That alone makes me glad times have changed. If Giannis blew out his back doing his own yard work, he'd get lambasted from every corner of North America. In today's game, Larry Bird is not only finding a contractor to pave his mom's driveway, he probably plays into his late 30s. As a fan, give me more in the long term rather than instant gratification. Ten more years of Giannis down the line or ten more games in the regular season? Easy choice.

It isn't anything new, it's just more publicized, right? Jerry Sloan managed Stockton's minutes. Doc Rivers managed Garnett's. The players are built and wired so much differently now than in the 80s and 90s. Fan entitlement seems like just as big of an issue, and with our society today that comes as zero surprise. I also think playing injured is just stupid. I don't care who you are or how much money you make, if you're injured or sick, the human body needs rest to recoup. That's not science or data. It's common sense.

I think the conversation today brings up a lot of good points from both ends of it, but the last thing I take into account is fans attending live games getting robbed of something. I mean, it sucks, but buying tickets for any live event comes with certain risks. If you're an adult that can afford to attend an NBA regular season game, you have to have the mature mindset to know that the star players might not play when you pay for that ticket. Life is full of bigger disappointments, as we all know. I think the NBA and NHL are far better live experiences than MLB and the NFL, so I understand how people with disposable income would want to attend live. I just feel like you have to be prepared for the fact that nobody owes you anything when you decide to show up, despite what a lot of people think.

The problem with all of this is you can't prove an absence of anything. They can make the reasons sound legitimate without being specific. MLB pitcher usage and how elite European soccer clubs rest their players is no different. Science and data are said to be the reasons, but nobody shows the public/media anything. It's proprietary and the teams hang onto it. I think if your intent is to win a championship, resting these players on certain nights and or limiting their minutes is the right thing. It's not the 90s anymore and these are not 90s athletes.

I think a large part of it stems from these players being bigger, faster and stronger than ever before on top of the fact that many if not most of them play year round, so there really is no offseason with that being the case. They're running at faster speeds for longer amounts of time and longer total distances. Most of them WANT to play and have that mindset, but the guidance coming from the front offices forces them to do otherwise. The players receive the bulk of the criticism in most cases, and we can dive into the reasons why but I'll save that for now, but they're not the ones making the final call in those decisions in the end. I can't fathom how these guys play into May and June playoffs then play all summer. I guess that's what you have to do in order to stay on your game or it's the professional culture, etc. but it's crazy to think of all those miles.

MLB, NBA, NHL have long regular seasons. College basketball does too. All of those seem to have a premium following come playoff/tournament time.
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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As much as I wish these guys would ask better questions, the answers like this to the bad ones are a breath of fresh air.
 
greyhammer90

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Looking forward to this Lakers Warriors series. I don't think either gets by Denver though. Feels like it's their year.
 
Old Man Mike

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Didn't get to watch Denver all season --- not a featured team and too late in the evening --- but they have so far been a real treat.
Though Jokic lives up to his billing, the whole damm team plays real basketball, and plays it at both ends. There are a BUNCH of guys on that team who look like they want to be on defense (in this age I can't tell you how I love seeing that.)

Their efforts have also pointed out to me how disgusting the primary refereeing philosophy of the league is (I don't blame the employees for this --- the refs are obviously blowing their whistles exactly as they are ordered to do. My main incensed gripe is when the ball goes in the basket on a drive or slash encumbered move. ANY vaguely in the neighborhood defensive presence is tweeted a foul. The arbitrary nature of this is particularly evident on plays which should be charges. Unless exceptionally obvious, the defense is always called for a foul IF THE BALL GOES IN. You almost cannot afford to even jump in the vicinity of a player who is just whamming in there. (Just watch the players faces --- 20-30 times a game --- as they smile, laugh, shrug "what-the-hell-did-I-do?")

This puts LOTS of great talent on the bench with foul trouble in the crappy aid of a constant unearned flow to the athletically-stagnant free throw line, just to put more points on the scoreboard. I've now watched several centrally important players on several teams (Jokic is just one) who have been told by their staffs to just not get anywhere near that action, because crap fouls will be called, and their teams will be crippled by it. I hate watching a player whose natural basketball instincts are to join in the battle, just back away. But they must due to this non-basketball philosophy.

When that crap is not ruining the game, though, this has been pretty good. ... somebody in the pros wants to play defense ... stunning. Did the ghosts of the Ben Wallace Pistons sneak back into the buildings?
 
Irish#1

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Armyirish47 said:
I'm hoping the Warriors are still heavy legged from game 7 and the Lakers can steal this first one.
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GS will be a tough out. Everyone wrote them off early with Sacramento, but their experience paid off.
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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That game was awesome. Outcome totally works for me too.

Hoping for Sixers v. Heat in the East.
 
fightingirish26

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Jiggafini19Deux said:
That game was awesome. Outcome totally works for me too.

Hoping for Sixers v. Heat in the East.
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Get the heat out asap lol. Jimmy butler is fkn MJ right now.

Getting way too ahead of myself but sixers/Knicks would be great from a selfish perspective. Can't wait to see what I'd have to shell out to be a road fan in the garden....way more than what the first round against Brooklyn cost, I'm sure..
 
Jiggafini19Deux

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Sixers and Nuggets go one step closer. Seeing the Celtics on the brink is as pleasing as it is surprising.
 
MacIrish75

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ND88 said:
Ja Morant is the biggest moron in the NBA, and that’s saying something. I straight-up hope he loses his contract.

Better than Jordan, my ass.
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No way Nike will stick with him if he keeps pulling this shit, either. Guy needs some serious help.
 
NDRock

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ND88 said:
Ja Morant is the biggest moron in the NBA, and that’s saying something. I straight-up hope he loses his contract.

Better than Jordan, my ass.
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I've really not kept up with this but why does someone get suspended for flashing a gun? In America. Did he break the law or was this from previous problems?
 
Irish#1

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NDRock said:
I've really not kept up with this but why does someone get suspended for flashing a gun? In America. Did he break the law or was this from previous problems?
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The dude just came off a time out for flashing a gun at the Pacers a couple of months ago. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.
 
NDRock

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Irish#1 said:
The dude just came off a time out for flashing a gun at the Pacers a couple of months ago. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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Gotcha. Figured there was more to the story than this incident.
 
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