2021 NBA PLAYOFFS MEGA THREAD

[Rich]

The whole #2 #3 #1 thing to me is sort of a cop out to excuse why a team loses or wins in the playoffs.

How these teams play the game matters more. And great players impact the way teams play the game.

rchfld is right..the Bucks are being coached to do NOTHING but shoot 3s or get layups. That's more important than Middleton being a legit #2 or not.


Because here's the deal, either the Hawks or Sixers are making the ECF and who is their legit #2 scoring option? Tobias Harris and Bogdo? Are those dudes better than Khris Middleton?

Same in the West. Either PHX or Denver is gonna make the WCF. Who's the number 2s there? PHX second leading scorer is gonna either be Ayton or Cam Payne. Denver's will be...I don't even know, Aaron Gordon?

So compared to those teams, Middleton is absolutely capable of being the 2nd best scorer on a conference finals team.

 

[inliner311]

If Middleton is not a #2 then Colin Sexton is definitely not a #2.

I don't see #1 or #2 based off a pure scoring. I think it's the job of the #1 and #2 option to help carry a team when they are struggling. I think Sexton has the ability to do that but no one truly knows since we have never made the playoffs with him. I think some of the problems with the Bucks is they don't have someone as a #2 option who picks up the slack when needed.

 

[Los216]

I don't see #1 or #2 based off a pure scoring. I think it's the job of the #1 and #2 option to help carry a team when they are struggling. I think Sexton has the ability to do that but no one truly knows since we have never made the playoffs with him. I think some of the problems with the Bucks is they don't have someone as a #2 option who picks up the slack when needed.

Holiday and Middleton can be that for them but they need better coaching

 

[Rich]

Budenholzer is A problem...but to me the ultimate problem with the Bucks trying to win a title is that, when it gets late into the playoffs, Giannis goes from top 3 player to top 10 player. That's just the truth.

He's not as good as Kawhi, Durant, LeBron, Embiid or Luka when teams specifically gameplan hard against defending him for 7 games.

He's not as good as Jokic or Lillard or Curry.


He might be a guy who needs to get his ass kicked for a few years in a row until he evolves his offensive game to become a harder guard in the post-season.

Because if you don't have a dude who can go to a true superstar level in the post-season, then winning a title becomes infinitely harder.

 

[inliner311]

Holiday and Middleton can be that for them but they need better coaching

I think Bud needs to put them into that situation more in the regular season so that they can step up in the playoffs. It's one thing I don't knock the Cavs on for not really having a system. They are building up Sexton and Garland to make plays outside of a system so they can hopefully step up whenever the system that does get put in place breaks down. That's what you want from your best players and it's really what the chess game of the playoffs is about.

 

[Los216]

I think Bud needs to put them into that situation more in the regular season so that they can step up in the playoffs. It's one thing I don't knock the Cavs on for not really having a system. They are building up Sexton and Garland to make plays outside of a system so they can hopefully step up whenever the system that does get put in place breaks down. That's what you want from your best players and it's really what the chess game of the playoffs is about.

This is a horrible approach to take with young developing players

 

[inliner311]

This is a horrible approach to take with young developing players

Why? We see systems get completely broken down in the playoffs. Bud's 2015 Hawks and basically every Brad Steven's Celtics teams. In a 7 game playoff series a well scouted defense can figure out almost exactly what a team will do. It's the improvisational skills of their top players to score that makes the difference in big games and crunch time.

 

[RchfldCavRaised]

I think Bud needs to put them into that situation more in the regular season so that they can step up in the playoffs. It's one thing I don't knock the Cavs on for not really having a system. They are building up Sexton and Garland to make plays outside of a system so they can hopefully step up whenever the system that does get put in place breaks down. That's what you want from your best players and it's really what the chess game of the playoffs is about.

I couldn't disagree with this more.

I don't know what else to say about it other than this is simply not how coaching and developing young players works.

Too many 1 and done guys don't get taught how to play within a system before getting to the pros and this approach ensures they never will learn how to.

 

[Rich]

Why? We see systems get completely broken down in the playoffs. Bud's 2015 Hawks and basically every Brad Steven's Celtics teams. In a 7 game playoff series a well scouted defense can figure out almost exactly what a team will do. It's the improvisational skills of their top players to score that makes the difference in big games and crunch time.

Some of this is using a system as an excuse for losing as opposed to a lack of talent.

Bud's 2015 Hawks way, way, way overachieved and when they lost to us in the playoffs its because we had vastly more on court talent.


That's largely true of most Brad Stevens teams too.

Now Bud doesn't have that excuse anymore and he didn't have it when he lost early last year either.

 

[inliner311]

I couldn't disagree with this more.

I don't know what else to say about it other than this is simply not how coaching and developing young players works.

Too many 1 and done guys don't get taught how to play within a system before getting to the pros and this approach ensures they never will learn how to.

I don't think they will never implement a system but I'd rather them build up those improvisational skills and put them into harder positions to score while we are tanking than have them figure out they need them in the playoffs.

Once the team implements a system, this team will take a jump. It's a good fall back that Garland and Sexton can create scoring outside of the system when needed. I think Garland and Sexton are both smart enough and hard working enough to pick up a system once they implement it.

Id be much more worried about creating system players that can't adjust to new systems especially since we don't have a #1 player to build a system around.

 

[inliner311]

Some of this is using a system as an excuse for losing as opposed to a lack of talent.

Bud's 2015 Hawks way, way, way overachieved and when they lost to us in the playoffs its because we had vastly more on court talent.


That's largely true of most Brad Stevens teams too.

Now Bud doesn't have that excuse anymore and he didn't have it when he lost early last year either.

I think good systems can make very good regular season teams and cover up for talent gaps. A system is predictable and teams rarely forward scout teams hard in the regular season. That changes in the playoffs.

If you want to succeed in the playoffs, you need talent and the ability to make unpredictable adjustments. If your system doesn't break down alot in the regular season when are you going to have the minutes to figure out those adjustments needed. Both players and coaches need the reps to make those adjustments.

 

[Rich]

Campazzo has just been a next level find for the Nuggets.

Types of moves that can get a team a title in a weird year like this one.

 

[Ohioplayer00]

Nobody was trying to put a package together for a dude who has barely stepped on the court the last two seasons, hasn't been good when he has, is making over 30 million a year, and is well on the wrong side of 30.

Unless that "package" includes picks from the Cavs.

I don’t know what was being talked about as far as compensation but Windhorst and other NBA Insiders were reporting these that these teams were interested in Love.
And you can talk about Love all you want being on the wrong side of 30 but the only thing that prevented him from being trade during the season was his contract. Trust me had he been bought out best believe he would have been signed by somebody with the first 8-10 hours.

 

[chrisrich91]

Budenholzer is A problem...but to me the ultimate problem with the Bucks trying to win a title is that, when it gets late into the playoffs, Giannis goes from top 3 player to top 10 player. That's just the truth.

He's not as good as Kawhi, Durant, LeBron, Embiid or Luka when teams specifically gameplan hard against defending him for 7 games.

He's not as good as Jokic or Lillard or Curry.


He might be a guy who needs to get his ass kicked for a few years in a row until he evolves his offensive game to become a harder guard in the post-season.

Because if you don't have a dude who can go to a true superstar level in the post-season, then winning a title becomes infinitely harder.

Glad someone said it.

I’ve never respected his game. If he didn’t have otherworldly measurables he wouldn’t even survive in the G League at his skill level.

And I’m not saying “if he was 5’11 he’d suck”. If he was even just like Jimmy Butler’s size, who has every bit of an NBA body, he’d be unplayable.

Maybe he does try to put in all the work and he just doesn’t have the ability. But his glaring lack of skill has always irked me.

 

[inliner311]

I don’t know what was being talked about as far as compensation but Windhorst and other NBA Insiders were reporting these that these teams were interested in Love.
And you can talk about Love all you want being on the wrong side of 30 but the only thing that prevented him from being trade during the season was his contract. Trust me had he been bought out best believe he would have been signed by somebody with the first 8-10 hours.

I don't think we know what those offers were for Love. I do think Love will become a more attractive piece as the time left on his contract comes down. I do think someone could become desperate to bring in talent to appease their current star might take a swing at Love.

2 years left on his contract might be the point where teams stop asking for assets or give back bad contracts to take him on. It's a one year of experiment than he is an expiring. One good half of a season of healthy play could make him a positive asset at this year's deadline.

I think who we draft will make the difference on how willing the Cavs are to let Love go. Wade could be a nice backup PF with more development. I don't think Nance is a full time starter and could be move for assets.