The Official NBA Playoff Thread—-20/21 Edition

[spurs50fan]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Admittedly, I was a little nervous in the third. The Hawks were hanging around, the 76ers bench was garbage, and if the 76ers didn't get it together the Hawks could've possibly eeked it out.

Game 3 I'm going 76ers in a tough one (single digits), but I really don't know. With game 2 I was fairly confident the 76ers would make the defensive adjustments necessary and avoid getting punched in the mouth like they did in the first half of game 1. I think game 3 depends on what kind of adjustments the Hawks can make to free up Trae to get the offense in more of a rhythm. With the 76ers, the answer was easy... switch Ben onto Trae instead of having Danny Green defend him. I don't know what the Hawks can do differently to get Trae going if Ben is locked onto him. The Hawks are also missing Hunter, which makes stopping Seth and Tobias Harris even more difficult. I don't think that alone would change the series outcome, but it would make a difference as both are averaging 20+ PPG with efficiency.

I'm curious what others are seeing as far as adjustments the Hawks can make. On paper they're simply overmatched. I'm not a savvy enough basketball fan to know where the Hawks go from here. Bank on home court and high energy?

Game 3 will likely start with a blitz for the Hawks. They are over matched, shorthanded AND young. But they are scrappy and we forget the Sixers are the #1 seed. So energy and pace is the key for the Hawks. Has always been the key imo. I'm still of the mindset that you let em fly like you don't care but also put a second playmaker on the floor with Trae to spread the Sixers out. I also think that if any of these upcoming games are close, Ben will win/lose it with his shooting.

And lobby the refs like Doc and Ben and maybe get some petitions

[daeve]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Admittedly, I was a little nervous in the third. The Hawks were hanging around, the 76ers bench was garbage, and if the 76ers didn't get it together the Hawks could've possibly eeked it out.

Game 3 I'm going 76ers in a tough one (single digits), but I really don't know. With game 2 I was fairly confident the 76ers would make the defensive adjustments necessary and avoid getting punched in the mouth like they did in the first half of game 1. I think game 3 depends on what kind of adjustments the Hawks can make to free up Trae to get the offense in more of a rhythm. With the 76ers, the answer was easy... switch Ben onto Trae instead of having Danny Green defend him. I don't know what the Hawks can do differently to get Trae going if Ben is locked onto him. The Hawks are also missing Hunter, which makes stopping Seth and Tobias Harris even more difficult. I don't think that alone would change the series outcome, but it would make a difference as both are averaging 20+ PPG with efficiency.

I'm curious what others are seeing as far as adjustments the Hawks can make. On paper they're simply overmatched. I'm not a savvy enough basketball fan to know where the Hawks go from here. Bank on home court and high energy?

I'd really like to see Nate experiment more with the 5-shooter lineup he had out there for only a short amount of time [Like 2 minutes if that?].

It was LouWill - Huerter - Bogdan - Gallo - Collins

anytime Embiid is out I'd like to see something like this featuring the hot hands - yesterday that was Huerter + Gallo... those were the guys who kept them in the game in the 2nd/3rd. the starters shot only 3-16 from deep, and it seemed like when the starters came back in they just forced the usual actions too often.

I get that it's the playoffs and they don't have time to reinvent the wheel, but when you're the underdog I think you should take some liberties and experiment a little bit.

If they continue to stick simmons on Trae I'd like to see more of Trae off-ball running simmons around screens all game and trying to curl to the wings for threes. Let whoever Curry is guarding handle the ball

[pingbling23]

Originally Posted by gomiamigo

Hawks starters outplayed Philly in just one half so far - first half of G1 [+20 Hawks], since then they've been absolutely shredded in the three other halves, really badly. Just check the stats. Philly +16 in H2 of G1, then Hawks starters only scored 23 points total in H1 last night, and Sixers were +16 in H2 again.

76ers starters net rating is +30.2, with a 72% TS% in this series.



Yes, if you take the best player in the NBA off the 76ers, they'd not be nearly as good starting Dwight Howard. They were a .500 team without him.

If you took the best player off any playoff team - Booker, Mitchell, Jokic, Durant, Kawhi, Giannis, Embiid - the team would be significantly worse. This is not news.

harden has been regarded as the nets best player this season, they have looked pretty good without him.

[jswest18]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

I was very concerned without Embiid. I figured it'd go 7 if he was shut down for the series. I'd be concerned even without Simmons or Tobias Harris. I think Philly is the kind of team that needs all of their pieces to really fire, regardless of how much they lean on Embiid. With Embiid, I figured 5 games, 6 tops.

And I think this whole thing depends on context... you said the 76ers would be lucky to win 2 games without Embiid, which I think is a reach, but I see where you're coming from as I do recall some were calling for a 76ers rout of the Hawks regardless.

I probably came off over confident and I didn't mean to. It's no secret though that Embiid is the xfactor for the 76ers. That goes without saying for any team's star but the season difference with Embiid on the floor and off the floor both in this series and the regular season is a big difference. Again, not a hot take. But, if you take Embiid out then where will the offense come? They could make it work against a below average team like the Wizards because you could stick Simmons on Beal then dare Westbrook to shoot instead of drive and they have nothing else really. The Hawks are much deeper and have a lot more scoring options though even if Trae has a night like last night and I just don't think the 76ers could score enough to keep up for more than a game or two. Capela cannot guard Embiid but if you take Embiid out of the equation Philly would struggle to score at the rim and they don't have the perimeter guys who can create and shoot consistently from outside without Embiid's presence. So I think they'd have a hard time winning more than a game or two in that scenario.

Anyways, a lot said about a hypothetical situation which doesn't appear likely to happen. I hope it doesn't either. The series has been and will be much more enjoyable watching Embiid play than having him out so I'm glad he's been able to go.

[jswest18]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

Admittedly, I was a little nervous in the third. The Hawks were hanging around, the 76ers bench was garbage, and if the 76ers didn't get it together the Hawks could've possibly eeked it out.

Game 3 I'm going 76ers in a tough one (single digits), but I really don't know. With game 2 I was fairly confident the 76ers would make the defensive adjustments necessary and avoid getting punched in the mouth like they did in the first half of game 1. I think game 3 depends on what kind of adjustments the Hawks can make to free up Trae to get the offense in more of a rhythm. With the 76ers, the answer was easy... switch Ben onto Trae instead of having Danny Green defend him. I don't know what the Hawks can do differently to get Trae going if Ben is locked onto him. The Hawks are also missing Hunter, which makes stopping Seth and Tobias Harris even more difficult. I don't think that alone would change the series outcome, but it would make a difference as both are averaging 20+ PPG with efficiency.

I'm curious what others are seeing as far as adjustments the Hawks can make. On paper they're simply overmatched. I'm not a savvy enough basketball fan to know where the Hawks go from here. Bank on home court and high energy?

I actually think having Hunter back would make a huge difference. It allows for so much more on the perimeter for the Hawks D. Embiid is going to get his no matter what but the key will be whether the Hawks can find a way to stop everyone else from getting down hill, which Hunter's point of attack D is sorely missed right now, and whether they can find a way to stop Curry from getting so many open 3s, which Hunter also would help with because his ability to guard 1v1 at the perimeter keeps the Hawks from having to scramble as much. Hunter would just make offense for Philly (outside of Embiid) a good bit more difficult. You also have to factor in that Hill is basically a hole offensively right now starting in Hunter's place. Hunter give the Hawks a legitimate scoring threat so you have the whole starting unit which has to be accounted for.

I'm unsure how the Hawks counter. I think they will try and find more mismatches away from Trae like they did with Hurter on Curry. I also think they might let Trae try and take Simmons 1v1 more instead PnR. That will be a tough ask but there were a few drives last night where he was able to beat Simmons off the dribble. I think a big key will come down to simply whether Trae is able to hit shots from mid to long range. Philly will give him that shot over letting him get to the paint. If he starts hitting them then it will soften the interior defense. If he's not then it will make for a difficult night like last night. Collins should get some more looks as well.

[Grizzkid12]

Originally Posted by tjforce

I've pointed this out before...

Panini's huge production numbers mean that nearly everyone around here has some investment in Trae.

Heck, I have more sports card value tied up in Trae than I do the entire Philly roster.

Yea, that's a fair point that I hadn't thought about in terms of lurker love.

That being said then, as a sports card forum shouldn't we be rooting for a young, upstart team to do well and inject some life into a market that has been sleepwalking for a couple of months now? Other than 76er die hards, obviously.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by brothertona

Such a baller move right here

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1402...311447561?s=20

Makes me like him even more. Good stuff.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by Grizzkid12

Yea, that's a fair point that I hadn't thought about in terms of lurker love.

That being said then, as a sports card forum shouldn't we be rooting for a young, upstart team to do well and inject some life into a market that has been sleepwalking for a couple of months now? Other than 76er die hards, obviously.

I bet if you polled a lot of the people that have been around here for a long time, you'd find that Team and Player fandom drives collecting more than Cards of players that pulled out of Retail drives Player fandom.

With the newer folks, it's probably the other way around.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by pingbling23

harden has been regarded as the nets best player this season, they have looked pretty good without him.

Maybe in the regular season...

but let's face it... in the playoffs there's no argument who the Nets #1 is.

[rustywest]

Originally Posted by tjforce

I've pointed this out before...

Panini's huge production numbers mean that nearly everyone around here has some investment in Trae.

Heck, I have more sports card value tied up in Trae than I do the entire Philly roster.

Ain't this the truth.

Wonder how many people around here don't collect Panini? I for one. I'm guessing Rats60 too but he's mostly dismissive of anything post 90's

Would like to know if there's anybody out there

[pingbling23]

Originally Posted by tjforce

Maybe in the regular season...

but let's face it... in the playoffs there's no argument who the Nets #1 is.

first round stats

durant 33/7/3/1/2
harden 28/7/11/2/1

there can easily be an argument either way.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by pingbling23

first round stats

durant 33/7/3/1/2
harden 28/7/11/2/1

there can easily be an argument either way.

Basketball is about more than just first round playoff stats.

If you can't tell the difference between the career playoff performances of Durant and Harden by just thinking back to what you've seen out of the two of them over the years, then I don't know what to say.

[gomiamigo]

Originally Posted by ballhawkdawk

With the 76ers, the answer was easy... switch Ben onto Trae instead of having Danny Green defend him. I don't know what the Hawks can do differently to get Trae going if Ben is locked onto him. ?

Trae had 25 on Danny in half a game, and 31 in 3 halves with Ben/Matisse guarding him. Hawks can't win if that's going to be his output. 76ers have outscored ATL by 32 the past 72 minutes.

Having said that, ATL can play well and win a home game in G3-4.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by rustywest

Ain't this the truth.

Wonder how many people around here don't collect Panini? I for one. I'm guessing Rats60 too but he's mostly dismissive of anything post 90's

Would like to know if there's anybody out there

I have lots of 2000s, including a LeBron PC. You are correct, I stopped collecting when Panini got their exclusive. I would still be collecting Topps Chrome and high end Upper Deck if they were made.

[Erikthredd]

Originally Posted by rustywest

Ain't this the truth.

Wonder how many people around here don't collect Panini? I for one. I'm guessing Rats60 too but he's mostly dismissive of anything post 90's

Would like to know if there's anybody out there

I don't own a single card of any current active NBA player. Does that count?

My PC is just early era MJ stuff.

[Erikthredd]

Windhorst just reported that De'Andre Hunter is done for the season and will undergo meniscus surgery.

[daeve]

Originally Posted by Erikthredd

Windhorst just reported that De'Andre Hunter is done for the season and will undergo meniscus surgery.

nooooo. ugh.

No Dunn, Hunter, or Cam... those are literally our perimeter defenders.

This means we'll be relying on our offense to just be better than theirs, which isn't ideal.

[hauntedcomputer]

Originally Posted by rustywest

Would like to know if there's anybody out there

I don't own any PC cards after 1986. Many of my cardboard bets are on dead guys.

But it's sure fun to watch Prizm 10s out there gunning for other people's glory on the court.

[hairyangryfella]

Originally Posted by tjforce

I've pointed this out before...

Panini's huge production numbers mean that nearly everyone around here has some investment in Trae.

Heck, I have more sports card value tied up in Trae than I do the entire Philly roster.

I don't own a single card of Trae (or Luka for that matter), but he's right - certain Philly fans are becoming insufferable and making neutrals want to root against them.

[ballhawkdawk]

Originally Posted by gomiamigo

Trae had 25 on Danny in half a game, and 31 in 3 halves with Ben/Matisse guarding him. Hawks can't win if that's going to be his output. 76ers have outscored ATL by 32 the past 72 minutes.

Having said that, ATL can play well and win a home game in G3-4.

Danny Green is a very good defender too, so it’s a credit to Trae that he was able to cook him so easily. Trae is just too shifty and too quick, and once he gets by you he has too many options.

I do expect Atlanta to play well enough that the series is 2-2 going into game 5. I can’t make a compelling case why, but they’re a game opponent and have played unafraid so far.

[pingbling23]

Originally Posted by tjforce

Basketball is about more than just first round playoff stats.

If you can't tell the difference between the career playoff performances of Durant and Harden by just thinking back to what you've seen out of the two of them over the years, then I don't know what to say.

I get that. Harden has underperformed in the playoffs but kd did as well until he didn’t, after joining a championship level team. This year harden has arguably performed better in the regular season and the first round of the playoffs. Therefore, it’s hard to say who #1 on the team is. I mean kyrie was carrying the nets in the first half of game one.

[tjforce]

Originally Posted by hairyangryfella

I don't own a single card of Trae (or Luka for that matter), but he's right - certain Philly fans are becoming insufferable and making neutrals want to root against them.

I'm probably in that bracket in the eyes of some people...


But look... I'm still sticking with the call that Philly will win this series as long as Embiid plays. IMO, they are the better team.

Before the series began I called Philly in 6. So while I think they are a step above Atlanta, I've recognized that Atlanta will get theirs and put up a fight.

If I'm wrong and Atlanta wins, I'll be the first to come back here and admit it. Feel free to call me out if the 6ers lose this series and then I disappear from the board for a week. I'm just giving my honest opinion of the series.

There's a handful of very loyal Hawks fans here. But I've never seen such a swing throughout one season of so much hype to begin the season, then people either jumping off the bandwagon or just disappearing from the boards when things weren't panning out that way, then the same folks popping back up when things suddenly start going well again. Props to BrotherTona, Daeve, and a few others who have been in the corner of this team the entire season. And props to Atlanta for making it this far for such a young team. For the rest of the folks, well, one of us is going to get the last laugh here in about a week. Maybe it'll be me, maybe not.

[escapegoat]

suns sure are deep

[ninjacookies]

The MPJ postseason experiment:

[daeve]

Jokic doing Jokic things

https://streamable.com/uz5q5p


Barton is back and doing well, which is good - the bad is that MPJ, Morris, and Facu can't put up turds vs this suns squad