2023-2024 NBA season

[Captain Kirk]

From looking like possibly making a run for 3rd the Pelicans look to be stumbling out toward the Play-In Games.

[Pooker]

28 minutes ago, Chris2K said:

SCREW YOU, PLAY IN GAMES! 

I'm rooting for a Wolves/Cavs Finals or a Wolves/Magic Finals!

[Chris2K]

Bronny is entering the draft, so look forward to 3 months of consistent talk about where he's going and whether LeBron will join him. 

[gunnar hendershow]

He's also entered the transfer portal and LeBron's friend is the head coach at mid-major Duquesne. That's gonna be where he goes unless some NBA team actually thinks he's got a chance (he doesn't).

[The Buscher]

Refs pretty much just rigged the end of UConn/Iowa to get Caitlin Clark into the finals.

[gunnar hendershow]

Picks are the glaring refball call in a sport that is under the most intense microscope for referees dictating outcomes. It's like offensive holding in football in that you can just call it on any play if you really want to. There's always a hold and there's basically always a pick.

But importantly the referees were terrible for the entire game. Wasn't just one bad call, it was a game full of them.

[gunnar hendershow]

Actually I watched the replay again of the really controversial play at the end and that was a moving screen, so hence an illegal pick. ESPN sucked at showing the replay. A bit beyond the "let them play" level.

[The Buscher]

Yeah now seeing other angles it was definitely the right call.  Still feels like refs often let things like that fly in the closing seconds but ah well.

I don’t think anyone’s taking down South Carolina anyway.  Not a total loss for UConn either as they got the #1 recruit for the 2024 class today.

[The Buscher]

UConn back to back national champs!  What a tournament.  Play the good teams close in the first half and then just completely beat them into submission in the second half.

[gunnar hendershow]

UConn now only trails UCLA and Kentucky in total titles & is tied with UNC. They've won more than Duke despite largely being a minor program until the late 1980s.

One piece of rather big college basketball news is that Calipari has left Kentucky for Arkansas. That's the job of jobs for many coaches but with all the money flooding the football schools it'll be interesting to see who makes the jump. I've seen Billy Donovan mentioned, and it wouldn't shock me given that it seems his tenure with the Bulls feels like it's run its course. Great coach though and if he wants to stick around the NBA it shouldn't be hard to find a new job.

[Chris2K]

Crazy to see how close the Western Conference is at both the top, and the play-off/play-in places. It's making it very difficult to me to know who are going to knock out the Wolves in the first round. I'm going to assume it will be the Lakers.

[Pooker]

2 hours ago, Chris2K said:

Crazy to see how close the Western Conference is at both the top, and the play-off/play-in places. It's making it very difficult to me to know who are going to knock out the Wolves in the first round. I'm going to assume it will be the Lakers.

Probably the most insane ending to a season we will ever see. Definitely rooting for the Wolves to come out of the West.

[Pooker]

@Chris2K how do you like your chances against the Suns?

[Chris2K]

Well we're 0-3 against them this season, including getting massacred by them at home last night, so let's say I'm not expecting much.

[GhostMachine]

Chik-Fil-A gives fans at the Clippers' arena free sandwiches if a visiting player misses 2 consecutive free throws in a row in the fourth quarter. The Rockets had the game in the bag, so Maranjovic missed 2 in a row on purpose, and even celebrated with the fans after missing the second one. That's awesome.

[Pooker]

8 hours ago, Chris2K said:

Well we're 0-3 against them this season, including getting massacred by them at home last night, so let's say I'm not expecting much.

I've learned to not take what happens in the regular season too seriously when it comes to the playoffs, especially the last few years that the Jazz made them. I just hope that Rudy doesn't get played off the floor again, which I don't think will happen, since the Wolves actually have good defenders around him.

[gunnar hendershow]

8 hours ago, Chris2K said:

Well we're 0-3 against them this season, including getting massacred by them at home last night, so let's say I'm not expecting much.

Suns were basically in 1st gear all regular season it seemed like. And while regular season results are often meaningless it's hard to not see a 6 seed Suns team as the toughest out in the first round.

[The Buscher]

The Knicks being the 2 seed is awesome.  The Knicks possibly having to play the Heat in the first round gives me the heebie jeebies.  Lots of bad history with that team including last year.

[gunnar hendershow]

The East feels like such a foregone conclusion. Celtics have boatraced that conference like the LeBron-led teams did in the 00s.

[Krabby]

33 minutes ago, gunnar hendershow said:

The East feels like such a foregone conclusion. Celtics have boatraced that conference like the LeBron-led teams did in the 00s.

But it's also the 2020s Celtics...