It stinks that 4 of the 5 best teams in the league play in the West and their champion will have spent two rounds getting smacked around by good teams while the Celtics beat the Butler-less Heat, the Mitchell and Allen-less Cavs, and like the OG/Randle-less Knicks
Maybe there is something to load management lol
the playoffs the last 3 years have been a war of attrition in some ways.
Yeah having every major star hurt in the playoff seems less than ideal
It’s been this way for like 25 years
How does that refute my point
And which point are you talking about, the strength of the West (which has been this way) or the injuries (a more recent development)
It’s not just reinforcing it and that’s it’s wild it’s lasted that long. Lebron benefited a ton from being in the east for all those years.
The East had gotten it closer but then they took a nose dive this year with Bucks being mid and Embiid getting hurt. A healthy east does give the Celtics a tougher time but they’re the only good and healthy team.
I really think that healthy Embiid puts the Sixers to “can push the Celtics” territory, a healthy Cavs team has been net margin rockstars for two years now, and healthy Knicks are obviously way better.
I don’t think the East, fully functional, was BAD this year, the problem is that none of those teams were functioning
Randle isn’t awesome but the pendulum has swung way too far against him (he’s a horrible contract, but he’s a good player and having him would just alleviate some of Brunson’s burden), they dealt lots of their depth for OG, who isn’t playing….
The Celtics have a bunch of good players but even then…it will stink if they can’t have Porzingis back for the finals.
A healthy Joel Embiid is a mythical creature though. He’s never played 70 games in a season, only played 39 this year and is going to be in his age 30 season. He’s also missed ~ 10 playoff games in his career and played injured through a bunch more.
Depending on what the Sixers do with their cap space this offseason, they could definitely make a push in the East. But we’ve been saying that since like 2017/2018? And a huge part of that is projecting a healthy Embiid in the playoffs who plays to his regular season standard, which has never happened. So I’m selling that until it actualizes
Embiid has been career playoff shrinker too
You mean Embiid has been career playoff injured
Yeah, Embiid’s health is clearly a problem. I’m just pointing out that the eastern playoffs have lost SIX guys (or had them severely hampered by injury) operating at high levels who have made All-NBA teams! That’s a ton!
(Embiid, Mitchell, Giannis, Dame, Butler, Randle)
If expansion adds teams in Seattle and Las Vegas, I guess, you could move Minnesota and New Orleans to the East.
Minnesota really should be, it has to be a rough time seeing your team tip off at 9:30 every game
Well, you can only choose one to move to the east. One gets earlier tip off times which it really needs and the other stays as is
And the Bucks were without Giannis.
I think with everyone healthy, the league was quite balanced this year.
And even they have missed Porzingis for some games.
Heard on Hollinger and Duncan
“Picks 9-11 are doing great in these playoffs - Livey, Jett Howard, and Cason Wallace”
(It’s a joke obviously)
Still not really into what Daigneault has done this series. Only SGA is gonna break 40 min? Dort not his fault obvi but Chet is on 3 fouls and good Williams is on 1.
They have at least at times pushed off misses tonight and built a lead doing that.