2023-24 NBA Playoffs Predictions

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by rms13

If you listen to the yahoos here then you'd think the Mavs are the second coming of the 96 Bulls

Nobody is calling the Mavs the 96 Bulls. I mean you have Celtics fans completely dismissing Dallas also so it's not some one sided crusade against Boston

[Nomad]

Call it what it is. It's a crusade against Boston. Man the ramparts!

[4barrel]

I’m not dismissing the Mavericks either. It’s entirely possible for Dallas to win the championship *and* the Celtics to not be tissue soft just because they lost.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by 4barrel

I’m not dismissing the Mavericks either. It’s entirely possible for Dallas to win the championship *and* the Celtics to not be tissue soft just because they lost.

I'm with you man. I think the Celtics can definitely win the title. They probably will be favored and have the talent to do so. I just don't know how anyone can watch Dallas and what they have faced and go "eh Celtics in 4 or 5"

[boxbuster7]

Dallas was terrible against the clippers - I honestly was surprised they won that series.

This has been a great playoffs but man the two conference finals have been total letdowns imo

[Nomad]

It's attritional. Pacers were only toast because they went through Knicks to get there and had 7 games in 10 days. While Boston had five days rest before ECF. So a lot on how this next series, particularly against a physical Wolves, goes is down to whether Mavs can close out tonight. They are already a day behind on prospective rest.

[Above the Rim]

Yeah, the conference finals are underwhelming. Gee, is Dallas really that much better than Denver ? Or did Minny just play that much better lights out against Denver ? Minny/Denver was a great series - knock down heavyweight fight. But Minny's overall defense seemed way better against Denver - also their offense. Tough to figure these things out, and I watch a lot of basketball.

[jcardstore]

Originally Posted by yiguiri2002

And here I was, thinking I was the only one that fell this way.

Titles in the 50s and early 60s should mean as much as ABA titles.

Absolutely agree, not that they're worth nothing but pre-merger titles are just not worth all that much.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by Above the Rim

Yeah, the conference finals are underwhelming. Gee, is Dallas really that much better than Denver ? Or did Minny just play that much better lights out against Denver ? Minny/Denver was a great series - knock down heavyweight fight. But Minny's overall defense seemed way better against Denver - also their offense. Tough to figure these things out, and I watch a lot of basketball.

Minnesota/Denver really wasn't a great series, it just went 7 games.

[JustinVerlander07]

Originally Posted by Nomad

It's attritional. Pacers were only toast because they went through Knicks to get there and had 7 games in 10 days. While Boston had five days rest before ECF. So a lot on how this next series, particularly against a physical Wolves, goes is down to whether Mavs can close out tonight. They are already a day behind on prospective rest.

No the Pacers were toast because they can't close games out. They would be up 3-1 if they had a pulse in the 4th quarter and didn't choke.

[Nomad]

Upshot is, this matchup should be the most competitive since Pacers-Knicks and Thunder-Mans. NBA got what they wanted, though NY fans might disagree.

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

No the Pacers were toast because they can't close games out. They would be up 3-1 if they had a pulse in the 4th quarter and didn't choke.

That's down to Nembhard and Haliburton, don't get the entire team involved unless you want to include Nesmith's G3 three-point clank, though we shouldn't have been there praying for OT in the first place.

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by JustinVerlander07

No the Pacers were toast because they can't close games out. They would be up 3-1 if they had a pulse in the 4th quarter and didn't choke.

So will the Wolves.

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by 4barrel

I’m not saying the Celtics are equivalent to the 1996 Bulls. Just saying they’re not equivalent to the soft tissue some of you guys keep referencing.

Celtics get a rep for being soft because:

- They've "choked" against inferior teams in recent history
- They don't have a lot of bigs

I think they were the best team during the regular season by far but either Dallas or Minny have a chance if Porzingis doesn't come back fully healthy

[rms13]

Originally Posted by yiguiri2002

Celtics get a rep for being soft because:

- They've "choked" against inferior teams in recent history
- They don't have a lot of bigs

I think they were the best team during the regular season by far but either Dallas or Minny have a chance if Porzingis doesn't come back fully healthy

This whole soft convesation is hillarious. Who's soft? Holiday? A PG who can shut down Embiid by himself, or muscle his way to the basket and pull down rebounds over guys 6 inches taller them him. Brown? The guy who's getting in Turner's face to protect his teamates and almost killing TJ McConnel or going nose to nose with Draymond iin the playoffs? Horford who's 37 years old and beating guys half his age for rebounds? Tatum who can put his shoulder down and go through anyone when he feels like it? Pritchard who gets kicked in the face by a dirty player twice his size and dusts himself off and finishes the game with a black eye? White who gets his ass kicked by bigger guys all game and hits game winning shots in their faces? Even Zingis who is one of the most fragile guys in the NBA doesn't let anyone intemidate him on the court. Once again I feel like poeple haven't watched this team at all and are about to find out

[Bosoxfan5990]

I'm dismissing the Mavs. Luka is a fraud. Kyrie is a head case. Celtics in 5.

[bradjames12]

Originally Posted by Nomad

That's down to Nembhard and Haliburton, don't get the entire team involved unless you want to include Nesmith's G3 three-point clank, though we shouldn't have been there praying for OT in the first place.

You really need to actually watch basketball games if you are going to post..

Hali went out in the 3rd quarter of game 2 and didn't play again..

[drobfan8]

I think getting Jrue and Porzingis was huge for Boston.

But your main guy Tatum is a massive softy. He fell hard for the 3 and long 2s and thinks he's Kobe. When in fact, Jaylen might be closer and could win FMVP.

Boston should win in 6. They also should have beaten GS 2 seasons ago and Miami last season.

Now they've stacked their team to win. A loss from here would be really bad for them. And I hope it happens.

I'd at least like to see this go 7. Then we'll find out who's soft.

Dallas has the best player and better coach.

Boston has the overall better squad.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

I'm dismissing the Mavs. Luka is a fraud. Kyrie is a head case. Celtics in 5.

Curious how Luka is a fraud exactly?

[Nomad]

,,,, z

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by bradjames12

You really need to actually watch basketball games if you are going to post..

Hali went out in the 3rd quarter of game 2 and didn't play again..

G1 Hali lost the ball on one possession and got railroaded out by Jrue, which Nesmith futilely tried to save. Those were 2 of the 5 things that had to happen in the last 1:09 of regulation, including Carsisle's refusal to advance the ball by calling a timeout, Nembhards bad pass-in to Siakam, and Brown hitting his miracle 3. I think there were similar events in OT, though the Pacers were out of it by the final minute.

True, G2 Carlisle made the inexplicable decision to bench Hali with an injury and pulled the plug on the entire team with 10 minutes to go, down 13.

But G3 and G4 featured multiple late Nembhard cough ups and shots blocked. I remember particularly G3, with 4 Celtics already grouped and ready to defend, Nembhard, not waiting for reinforcements or passing out to open Nesmith, blindly made a mid-jump attempt over several outstretched hands.

Haliburton maybe earned to trust to be a key decision maker, despite his physical frailty and injuries. He was fairly forced into submission by Jrue. But Nembhard just skunked it. Either way, Nesmith would have been a more level headed and steady option to get Nembhard, Myles, or Siakam the ball, setting up options. Nembhard got really final-minute greedy (based on the leverage created by one miracle make against Knicks that, admittedly, turned the series).

[yiguiri2002]

Originally Posted by rms13

This whole soft convesation is hillarious. Who's soft? Holiday? A PG who can shut down Embiid by himself, or muscle his way to the basket and pull down rebounds over guys 6 inches taller them him. Brown? The guy who's getting in Turner's face to protect his teamates and almost killing TJ McConnel or going nose to nose with Draymond iin the playoffs? Horford who's 37 years old and beating guys half his age for rebounds? Tatum who can put his shoulder down and go through anyone when he feels like it? Pritchard who gets kicked in the face by a dirty player twice his size and dusts himself off and finishes the game with a black eye? White who gets his ass kicked by bigger guys all game and hits game winning shots in their faces? Even Zingis who is one of the most fragile guys in the NBA doesn't let anyone intemidate him on the court. Once again I feel like poeple haven't watched this team at all and are about to find out

- Those are the reasons people might think they are soft, I don't think they are
- People correlate having big, tall guys (or guys who are constantly fouling/getting into fights) as not being soft
- Yes, most people don't watch basketball games

[rms13]

Originally Posted by drobfan8

I think getting Jrue and Porzingis was huge for Boston.

But your main guy Tatum is a massive softy. He fell hard for the 3 and long 2s and thinks he's Kobe. When in fact, Jaylen might be closer and could win FMVP.

Boston should win in 6. They also should have beaten GS 2 seasons ago and Miami last season.

Now they've stacked their team to win. A loss from here would be really bad for them. And I hope it happens.

I'd at least like to see this go 7. Then we'll find out who's soft.

Dallas has the best player and better coach.

Boston has the overall better squad.

I am a C's fan and I partially agree on Tatum/Brown. I don't think Tatum is soft but I do think he settles for way too many pull up 3s and long 2s and he's not an elite shooter by any stretch. It is frustrating because with his body he could be doing what Lebron has been doing for the past 10 years and doing it as sucesffully. When he decides he's going to the basket nobody can stop him without fouling him. And that's the same discussion I've been hearing in Celtic fan circles for a few years. And I admit I have said trade him after the past two seasons. I do think Brown is the alpha on the team. But on the other hand Tatum is 5th all time in play off games with at least 30/10/5 behind only Lebron, Bird, Giannas and Jokic. He does a lot on the court to help his team win besides shooting 3s or scoring. There are only 3-5 teams with a guy on the level of Luka but Tatum is on the next tier and the C's have a deeper roster then the Mavs. This C's team is much better then any team in the Tatum/Brown era with the possible exception of 2017-18 where I think they would have won the title if they had Kyrie and Hayward in the playoffs.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by Chris P

Curious how Luka is a fraud exactly?

What has he won in his first 5+ years in the league? Got smoked in his previous WCF.

[the mesiah]

Minny gets this game with backs against the wall and sends it back to Minnesota for game 5, Luka hobbled ,D live is out .. maxi rusty