Detroit Pistons & NBA Talk

First I just want to say I love the reasonable, thoughtful takes on Draymond from everyone because they hit right at home for me.

I WANT to like Draymond. He is a basketball savant and he is going to be himself unabashed. He’s absolutely mastered his role. These are all things I like.

@mgl absolutely nailed it on the lack of impulse control. That’s all it is. You don’t have this many infractions, this big of a target on your back, and keep doing it unless you simply cannot help it.

As to his teammates, there’s been visible frustration from Steph and Kerr so many times. It’s clearly a love/hate thing but it is not 100% support.

In terms of the angry black man thing (not that this needs to be a qualifier but will say, from a POC perspective here as well), everyone has to be careful to completely discount it. Inherent bias is exactly that: it’s inherent. It’s also pervasive. So it almost never plays ZERO role and I think anyone who admonishes it completely is doing some form of disservice. That said, it screams lack of accountability within the context of him not taking accountability otherwise.

Simply put, Draymond you come off angry because you hit people constantly and you’ve never been in control of your emotions on the basketball court.

8 Likes

A buddy told me that during that last game during Draymond’s latest meltdown, the TV guys said that Izzo called Draymond just that week to explain the importance of maintaining one’s composure. :rofl:

Right like the reality is that Minnesota DID throw two different fans out of the last game for yelling racial slurs at Draymond, so he obviously gets that stuff

But when it comes to the you can’t go from whacking LeBron James in the groin to blowing up at Kevin Durant on the bench to punching Jordan Poole in the face to stomping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest to head-locking Rudy Gobert to hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face and then go “it’s the media!”

7 Likes

and let’s be clear too - he’s never whacking people who fight back. he’s done plenty of things that ARE tough, such as staying disciplined on D late in games, surviving in a league without a jump shot, transforming his body. but he’s not swinging his arms at a charles oakley, beef stew, etc.

1 Like

I know they’re up big early and the threes are falling but the Celtics are still barely passing

1 Like

Because when I think of keeping composure I think of Izzo.

1 Like

Tom’s secret is that people don’t find it threatening when he loses his composure! but the reasons for that are inaccessible to draymond

3 Likes

I mean let’s be real here, who in their right mind would be scared of an angry dwarf

The only difference in this third quarter versus Games 1 and 2 is the defensive intensity.

The Celtics are not great at playing slowed down in the half court. New York has the right personnel for it and neither Jayson or Jaylen are efficient iso scorers.

People interpret their three point attempts as a lack of trying to score inside when they’re mostly last resort shots.

Right now they’re maintaining gap by scoring off turnovers. That’s it. Games 1 and 2 the intensity fell off to end the third and then the anxiety ratchets up.

2 Likes

I’ve seen documentaries that imply orcs should be very afraid.

Well, Tom is a 70 year old midget and so I think most of us here could take him. :rofl:

And a 70 year old one at that!

Gutsy play by the Warriors last night. Ran out of bigs at the end with foul trouble but still pretty impressive

Roddy Gayle needs to be sent to Aaron Gordon’s warehouse basketball court home for the summer

3 Likes

yeah him and Will Ferrell

1 Like

I have to be missing something here. The Cavs are full healthy tonight, right?

2 Likes

Yeah this is insane. So much for that regular season

1 Like

Cleveland set the record for largest halftime playoff lead in 2017 when they lead by 41 at the break.

Tonight they’re on the other side of history with a 41-point deficit at the half.

Do not understand what I’m watching.

Fire Atkinson. (And cut Jerome.)

1 Like