2021 NBA playoffs discussion thread
- Thread starter WeAreDePaul
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It’s strange, it’s almost like he had nothing to do with his championship season. Who could’ve guessed this?
I almost feel bad for the Clippers. They gave up everything for Paul George who has been rather blah. If Kawhi bolts which could happen they are screwed. The fact that SGA has turned into an all star makes it looks even worse.
Loved Trae's bow and wave at the end of the game. I think Hawks could have a shot if Embiid has to miss games.
The Hawks win also guarantees that a former UVA player will be "playing" in the NBA finals - Joe Harris (Brooklyn), Mike Scott (Philly), De'Andre Hunter (ATL), Mamadi Diakite (Milwaukee)
This is pretty awesome for a program that has not traditionally had many pros.
The Hawks win also guarantees that a former UVA player will be "playing" in the NBA finals - Joe Harris (Brooklyn), Mike Scott (Philly), De'Andre Hunter (ATL), Mamadi Diakite (Milwaukee)
This is pretty awesome for a program that has not traditionally had many pros.
Not the biggest fan of Trae but love the bravado. Gonna be interesting to see them against the Sixers if Embiid misses time.
If Embiid is out we win that series. If Embiid is in, bad things will happen to us. The key is going to be can Capela stay out of foul trouble guarding Embiid. As much as Trae is the key to the offense, Capela is the key to the defense. If he's on the bench with foul trouble all series we are in big trouble.
If only he had a few more seasons of Lebron coaching his coaching.
Imagine getting rid of Doc Rivers bc he was apparently “the problem” lololol. Yikes.
I don't see Atlanta beating the Sixers, even if Embiid doesn't play.
Embiid won’t play until the Hawks win a 2nd game or if the Sixers lose game 1. With Ben Simmons playing the 5 that could also tax Capela. On a non-Embiid night in Utah, the Jazz tried to play Gobert on Simmons and he lit them up for 42. Gobert is a better defender than Capela. I like your squad a lot. Collins Capela Hunter Hoerter and of course Young is a nice group. They have some fine moments in front of them. All that being said, a gentlemen’s sweep (5 games) for the Sixers is coming.
Why is that?
I don't see how they beat ATL without Embiid.
Capela
Collins
Hunter
Bogi
Trae
Lou Will
Huerter
Gallo
Okongwu
vs
Simmons (are they really going to play him at 5 vs Capela?)
Tobias
Green
Curry
Thybulle
Maxey
Howard
Korkmaz
Hill
What am I missing here? We have the better starting lineup and better bench. We have the best player in the series. The best rim protector. More shooters.
You need to look at teh Hawks, not as a #5 seed, but as a #2 or #3 seed which is basically what they are since Nate took over. Only team in the East with a better record since March 1 is Philly and it's 1 game difference. And its not a small sample size.
Doc isn’t Pop or Red Auerbach but man is it nice to have a legit NBA coach after the Brett Brown years. If this team was still coached by Brett and Embiid goes down I think you could have seen the first time in NBA history a team came back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. Doc and staff did a hell of a job last night.
Simmons is likely a better pick and roll defender of Capela Young pick and roll than Embiid is. That’s Capela’s whole offensive game. If he were a clear out and give it to him on the block player I would agree that Simmons would have a tough go of it. Capela isn’t that guy.
Its extremely debatable you guys have a better anything. Simmons will clamp down on Trae, no one else on the Hawks scares the Sixers. They will play small ball on offense and spread the Hawks out, getting to the rim at will or kicking to open shooters. I will happily make a sig bet with you that the Sixers win this series.
I think the Trae Young plan will entail changing up the looks they throw at them. He’s going to see Simmons, Danny Green, Thybulle, George Hill and even likely some Tyrese Maxey (especially if no Embiid he’ll get more minutes). Each of these guys brings a different intangible to the way they guard a player. I am less worried about Young as I am the role guys around Young making open looks if the Sixers sell out trying to take Young away. If it were me, I’d come in thinking Young will get 25-30 each night regardless, but if you lock down the other guys you win the game.
Philly doesn't have anyone who can guard Trae. Simmons has no shot against a tiny quick guard like Trae. I doubt they even go to that matchup that often this series. Besides, they're going to need Simmons and his size to guard Capela, Collins and Hunter.
If no one else on the Hawks scares Philly then this will be an even easier series than the last one.
They don’t have to stop Trae to win 4 games. They have to stop the guys around Young. Young can get his and the Sixers can still win. The Knicks offense is putrid. The Sixers can score.
Trae's last 5 games vs Philly:
25/9
39/18
28/10
26/8
32/4
So if the plan is to just let Trae get his I wouldn't hold out too much hope for that number to stay in the 25-30 point range. Of the guys you listed I don't think any of them can stick with Trae. Thybulle obviously poses the most problem, but that's only because of his ability to make plays after he gets beat by a driver. But, if Thybulle guards Trae he's going to have a hard time staying out of foul trouble with his aggressive from behind defense.
Hill, Green and Maxey will be BBQ chicken if they end up guarding Trae.
At least you recognize that Trae has a lot of talent around him this season. Jimbo seems to think that there's no one else on the Hawks to worry about. That's an objectively ridiculous take.
yep Philly can score, but it looks like there will always be a spot on the floor we'll be able to hide Trae defensively. Thybulle, Green. Is one of them always on the court?
You’re citing regular season games, not playoff games. There’s a big difference in the level of defense that gets played. The value in the guys I named is the multiple looks they can throw at him. I think they’re going to blitz him quite a bit as well. The only way to play a great player in the modern game is to make him a thinker to get hesitation and you do that by changing the looks up. For me, it will be interesting to see how the series is officiated. If the officials let Young go to the line 12-15 times from jumping into guys and launching like he and Harden do then the Sixers could have some problems minus Embiid with foul trouble. I agree that any one guy isn’t going to shut down a player like Young. But they can mitigate the damage collectively as a group throwing different tactics at him.
Let me say this. If Trae wins this series, I'll start to take him seriously. Because right now, I don't think Trae is this star you want him to be, and the Hawks just don't have that talented of a roster. The east is top heavy, and has been for about 15 years. No one was taking the Wizards, Celtics, or Heat seriously. Not many people are taking the Hawks seriously. So let this be their opportunity to change some minds.
Danny Green is the best corner 3 guy in the league by both percentage and number of made threes. He’s limited offensively in that regard but that’s also because he’s a vet and he knows where his value is. Thybulle is a liability on the offensive end for sure. The group they closed with last night was Simmons at the 5 Harris at the 4 Green at the 3 Curry at the 2 and Maxey at the 1. Late game they will likely play offense defense with Maxey and Thybulle or George Hill. You can’t hide a defender in the playoffs though. The Sixers have too many drivers and they get matchups with switches. And if the Hawks don’t want to switch on screens they will break down the defense with penetration. An interesting matchup is going to be John Collins vs Harris. For me, that’s the pathway for the Hawks to win the series. The Sixers need at least 20 from Harris and that may need to go up to 28-30 if no Embiid. I think Collins is an underrated defender and that’s a matchup I’ll be watching.
I’m taking them seriously. They’re one guy away from being a top flight team. In fact, if he stays healthy and the arc on the progression of his game grows through hard work DeAndre Hunter could be that guy.
I think you guys like Trae a lot more than I do. I'm not a fan, and I don't think any other star would want to play with him. Kinda like Russ
I hear where you’re coming from. He does tend to dominate the basketball. At the same time, he’s gotten better at this as Nate has taken over. But from what I can gather, Trae Young has the potential to be one of the best pick and roll players in a pick and roll league. On this point we will probably agree. I think Atlanta would prefer to have Luka than Young and Cam Reddish.
Also...loving your KY guy Tyrese Maxey. Watching him I have no idea how he fell so late to the Sixers. If he landed with a lottery team that had to throw him to the wolves and play him 30-35 a night he would have had similar impact to DeAaron Fox’s rookie year with Sacramento. Maxey is Gonna be a player. He also seems to have that IT factor that a player either has or he doesn’t. He plays with no fear. Big ups to Cal for refining this kid’s game.
No doubt, I still can't believe to this day the Hawks traded Luka away. Because while I think Luka is crybaby, his talent and ability to lead his team is crazy. And yes, do agree about Trae in the PAR.
He's left a bad taste in my mouth from the beginning. He basically told UK to shove it when Cal mentioned he can't dominate the ball and take every shot. That, to me, sounds like a pretty horrible teammate.
I'm not in the majority, but Maxey's UK team could have went all the way. March is dominated by guards, and Kentucky had three of the best in the country. (Maybe 2, if you don't wanna count Hagans)
Quickley and Maxey on the same team was unfair in most games.
The refs have already started getting stingy with Trae. His FT attempts were way down in the Knicks series and as a team the Hawks have received the least amount of free throws of any team in the playoffs. Hasn't stopped Trae's production.
The Knicks tried to bum rush Trae and double team him at half court for a bit and he tore them inside and out with his passing. They gave up on that strategy pretty quickly. We'll see if the Sixers have better success with it.
Or it’s just an immature kid trying to figure it out. Time will tell but as basketball fans, we’ll enjoy the **** out of either watching him go to new heights or fail haha. Either way the story is compelling. I also would have gone Luka. It’s tough to translate a projection coming from Europe, but I leaned Luka that draft year just because of his 6’7’’. He can do more things.
yea why would you want to play with a guy who finishes 2nd in the league in assists every year?
Also, ever since Nate got the job and Bogi came back, Trae's 3pt attempts are down from 9 per game to 6.
Trae is evolving into a legit superstar.
you should be mad at Cal then cause that's his loss and a pretty big one at that. If you had Trae on that team with SGA and PJ Washington you'd be celebrating another title in Lexington.
Don't get mad at Trae for knowing and understanding his worth at a young age.
I’m not gonna come at a Thibs defense. Dude knows what he’s doing. At the same time, I think the Sixers have better defensive personnel. Not even mentioning Embiid because he’s a wild card for this series but Simmons, Hill, Green, Thybulle are all plus defensive players. It’s a better group of talent than Rose Birks Barrett Bullock in my opinion.
I’m pretty psyched I found this thread. I have an NBA thread ive been maintaining on the college football board but it only gets traffic from a handful of posters. Ha! Why didn’t my dumb ass think to come to this board to talk ball? Duh.
I am very happy to see there's a Sixer fan here to talk to about this series. You guys are crazy fans in Philly. In 2010 I went to Philly to watch my Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup and the fans were insane. I wore my Patrick Kane jersey , but brought a jacket to wear over it when i went to the bathroom. I'm an idiot, but not that much of an idiot.
I don't want to mention Embiid cause if he's playing then this discussion is over and I'm just hoping we can steal a game or two and be competitive for the rest of them.
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