My vibesy af take is I think the Rockets are prob pretty good value rn? Like, no, they shouldn’t be favorites but the guys that take shots for them can’t be worse than game 1 and the Warriors best players are old.
If they get game 2, they’re set up to drag it out and strangle the Warriors in a long series when they play every other day from game 3 on.
You keep saying the Warriors are old, but teams as young as Houston almost never win a playoff series. Theres a reason the odds are what they are.
What is the FIBA way of calling the foul baiting? I understand that you run the risk of not getting legit earned calls if the foul doesn’t seem to impede you since the game is so physical. But when the entire plan seems to be “draw a foul” rather than “score through contact and hope to get the call” it is a tough watch. I respect Brunson’s ability and skill - and I do think because he’s a smaller below-the-rim player he earns plenty of calls. But the over-the-top behavior is annoying.
The egregious calls Brunson got were:
The way they put it on Dunc’d On is FIBA refs make you engage in a genuine basketball play that makes sense for the game state and everything else is viewed with suspicion.
E.g. it’s perfectly fair to pump fake and then shoot into the guy that left his feet and came into your space.
It’s not okay to run into a guy intentionally on your way up the court and fall down for no reason at all.
It’s not okay to get ahead of someone with your dribble and stop for no discernible reason and then fall over when contact is made.
I think you’re missing at least 3 more including Ausar’s 5th.
I think Ausar’s 4th and 5th were the last two I listed.
On the third one the ref didn’t blow the whistle until he hit the ground which was several seconds after the actual foul/no foul happened.
FIBA refs just don’t blow the whistle on nearly as much as the NBA refs do.
Let’s have them do that in the offseason and not in the next week.
I almost bet on them on principal when I saw the lines , I was expecting even at worst for GS so I was disappointed to find out I was actually giving up some there but I stuck with my thoughts.
It actually encouraged me to go with Detroit even more instead of leaving it alone.
Pistons might not hit but I had to try it cause I think it will be that close.
Kevin Porter Jr being heavily featured on both ends during the non Dame minutes.
It’s going how you’d expect it to go.
Porter actually played well for them this year!
It brings me no joy to say this
But I think Ja is just not any good?
Like he was. But his problem isn’t that he’s “failed to develop”. It’s that he’s like worse at everything while also being an a$$hole
Like is he better than Austin Reaves? This ancient iteration of James Harden? Coby White? Is he one of the 15 best PGs? 20?
He plays like the guy we remember got shot with an elephant tranquilizer
KPJ has the funk. Excellent innings eater in the regular season to carry scoring for a second unit.
I also think a championship team will never have him in the rotation lol
This Bucks team depresses me. I really hope Dame’s not 100% bc his effort on D is not at all good.
Giannis kicking the ball out to Kyle Kuzma equally dour inducing
I don’t get the point of Jackson Hayes
Well yeah but an eastern conference 5-seed may
He just got put on a poster by Ant.
Clips-Nuggets, Pistons-Knicks, & T-Wolves-Lakers are going to be fun series (I think Rockets-Warriors and Bucks-Pacers will make it onto that list pending the results of their next games)