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2017-2018 Around the NBA
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bigfoot5415
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There is still a scenario in which we get the 3 seed according to NBA.com and the helpful charts they have put out. That would be us winning and Milwaukee beating Philly. If that happens, we would be locked into Milwaukee. Id rather play Indy if I am being honest and getting Toronto out of the way early while keeping Miami & Washington on the other side of the bracket.
There isn't a scenario in which I have serious doubts about getting out of the conference, just certain players or locations can potentially cost us a game.
bigfoot5415
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Also, the two remaining scenarios in which OKC finished the 7 seed is now off the table with Utah beating GSW.
Den is 2-2
MIN is 2-1 against GSW (1 loss coming in Mar)
NOH is 1-3 against GSW
SAS is 1-3 against GSW
I guess our hope would be one of Utah or Min (id much rather prefer Min) play GSW in the 1st round & one of OKC or POR in the WCSF.
Den is 2-2
MIN is 2-1 against GSW (1 loss coming in Mar)
NOH is 1-3 against GSW
SAS is 1-3 against GSW
I guess our hope would be one of Utah or Min (id much rather prefer Min) play GSW in the 1st round & one of OKC or POR in the WCSF.
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And1
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Any on court problems he may have is great by me
Dislocated shoulder for Prince Luc...on one hand, most people wouldn't count him among their 4-5 best players. On the other hand, the Rockets aren't a very deep team, and it's hard to overstate how big the dropoff is defensively from Luc to JJ and Gerald Green.
czvo
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So let's assume OKC wins, since they have 48. Then we can narrow it down, somewhat, easily.
Portland, Utah, and OKC will all have 48 wins, landing them somewhere between 3-6. The winner of NOP/SAS will also avoid 7-8. The loser of Minnesota/Denver is out. So here's what we've got:
NOP & DEN win: Denver is 7, SAS is 8
NOP & MIN win: SAS is 7, Minnesota is 8
SAS & DEN win: Denver is 7, New Orleans is 8
SAS & MIN win: Minnesota is 7, New Orleans is 8
So the easiest thing to root for, if you don't want San Antonio in 7th, is for Denver to win.
Portland, Utah, and OKC will all have 48 wins, landing them somewhere between 3-6. The winner of NOP/SAS will also avoid 7-8. The loser of Minnesota/Denver is out. So here's what we've got:
NOP & DEN win: Denver is 7, SAS is 8
NOP & MIN win: SAS is 7, Minnesota is 8
SAS & DEN win: Denver is 7, New Orleans is 8
SAS & MIN win: Minnesota is 7, New Orleans is 8
So the easiest thing to root for, if you don't want San Antonio in 7th, is for Denver to win.
Walter White
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But if Kawhi comes back, Spurs could be a good option, but Kawhi would likely still be super rusty.
So Pelicans can't be 7th seed? That would be good, although they seem to play GSW well, but a series is a different game.
So who would play GSW better, Denver or Minnesota?
So Pelicans can't be 7th seed? That would be good, although they seem to play GSW well, but a series is a different game.
So who would play GSW better, Denver or Minnesota?
Rich
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I think people really try to split hairs for some reason.
Currys more important, has a bigger impact, but Durant is a better player? That just doesn't make sense.
If one player impacts the game more than another, he's better. It doesn't matter how he impacts it (in Currys case without touching the ball) just that he does.
He's their best player and they cant win a title without him. I think this stretch has made that abundantly clear. Curry is better than Durant.
Currys more important, has a bigger impact, but Durant is a better player? That just doesn't make sense.
If one player impacts the game more than another, he's better. It doesn't matter how he impacts it (in Currys case without touching the ball) just that he does.
He's their best player and they cant win a title without him. I think this stretch has made that abundantly clear. Curry is better than Durant.
K1rieIrving>AllOtherPG's
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Yep and it’s not close, Curry is also the player that makes Durant look way better than he is, just look at how Durant numbers drop when he’s playing without Curry it’s pretty drastic, Durant can’t carry a team with two other all stars and a former DPOY.
Give LeBron that team and see what he does with it, Warriors are playing 400. ball with Durant leading the way and Curry being out
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=23108159
I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but I think something's seriously wrong with him. A stat line of 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, 5 turnovers would've been unthinkable for Draymond last year. And it's not a complete anomaly; he's had a lot of super-terrible games in the last couple weeks.
priceFTW
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Huge loss. He’s a guy you can put on KD AND he’s developed a reliable 3 point shot. The playoffs are going to expose G. Green and he’s going to become more and more unplayable.
It's time for Andrew Wiggins to play like a max-contract-type player for the Timberwolves
Andrew Wiggins is at the heart of the Wolves' failings. He isn't always engaged on defense — or on offense when he doesn't have the ball.
April 11, 2018 — 6:50am
Jerry Holt, Star Tribune
JIM SOUHAN @Souhanstrib
Andrew Wiggins was nicknamed Maple Jordan, in the hopes that he would become a Canadian version of an American great.
At the end of his fourth season, coming off a performance neither country would want to claim, Wiggins has earned a new alias:
Meh Jordan.
Wednesday night, the Timberwolves will play their biggest game in 14 years. All that is at stake is a playoff berth, validation of their hurry-up-and-win plan and the fading reputation of their maximum-contract project.
If the Wolves win, they will reach 47 victories for the sixth time in franchise history and earn the dubious-if-possibly-valuable experience of getting blown out of a first-round playoff series. If they lose, they will have improved by 15 games in one season and still failed.
Along with the usual scouting reports, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau should issue a personal challenge this morning to Wiggins, who is paid like a superstar and performs with all the reliability of airplane Wi-Fi.
In his last nine games, Wiggins has scored 20 points once and shot 50 percent or better from the field once. During that stretch, he’s averaging 14.4 points on 36.7 percent shooting, although his rebounding and steals numbers (6.4 and 1.7) were better than his season averages.
On Monday, in a win-or-be-laughed-out-of-the-state game, Wiggins made three of his 12 shots and scored seven points in 36 minutes. In a key loss to Denver last week, he got beat to a key rebound late in the game, then defended himself by saying, “I jumped.”
Tuesday, after practice, Wiggins was asked a slew of questions about the biggest game of his NBA career, and he paused before most of his answers, as if he hadn’t given them any prior thought.
His first answer was his best: “This is the biggest game of my basketball career, in general. Not only NBA, but college, on any level, this is the biggest game.”
Let’s see if he plays like he believes that.
In general, Wiggins has slightly improved his floor game of late, but No. 1 picks and maximum contract players are expected to dominate, not meander. Wiggins meanders like a St. Paul side street, playing hard enough in bursts to make us all realize what we’re missing the rest of the time.
Wiggins is one of Thibodeau’s stress points. Signing Wiggins, trading Ricky Rubio, bringing in Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and trading Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Jimmy Butler — these were the moves of a basketball boss who expected to win immediately. To sell out for the present and miss the playoffs would be the latest disaster for a franchise that could adopt the theme to “Titanic” as its pregame music.
There is nothing wrong with this group winning 46 games. What will nag all spring and summer, should they ever arrive, would be the way a pretty-good Wolves team failed to defend, often failed to make a full effort, and blew winnable games.
Wiggins is at the heart of their failings. He isn’t always engaged on defense — or on offense when he doesn’t have the ball.
The Wolves roster is stocked with effort players. When Wiggins floats, he stands out.
Don’t think the organization doesn’t notice. Butler’s recent comments about effort are directed at Wiggins, whether Butler will ever admit that publicly or not.
Intentionally or passively, Wiggins is positioning himself to be traded. There is a chance that Wednesday will be Wiggins’ last home game at Target Center. If traded, he would leave the franchise that was so thrilled to acquire him without playing in a single playoff game.
Like most talented athletes, Wiggins can write and rewrite his own story at any juncture of his career. Should he excel Wednesday and in the playoffs, he might be able to resurrect his stock. The Wolves are invested in wanting him to succeed.
But the fans who booed the Wolves on Monday night know that Wiggins has damaged his team’s playoff chances as well as his own reputation this season. Now is past time for Meh Jordan to play like he cares.
Andrew Wiggins is at the heart of the Wolves' failings. He isn't always engaged on defense — or on offense when he doesn't have the ball.
April 11, 2018 — 6:50am
Jerry Holt, Star Tribune
JIM SOUHAN @SouhanstribAndrew Wiggins was nicknamed Maple Jordan, in the hopes that he would become a Canadian version of an American great.
At the end of his fourth season, coming off a performance neither country would want to claim, Wiggins has earned a new alias:
Meh Jordan.
Wednesday night, the Timberwolves will play their biggest game in 14 years. All that is at stake is a playoff berth, validation of their hurry-up-and-win plan and the fading reputation of their maximum-contract project.
If the Wolves win, they will reach 47 victories for the sixth time in franchise history and earn the dubious-if-possibly-valuable experience of getting blown out of a first-round playoff series. If they lose, they will have improved by 15 games in one season and still failed.
Along with the usual scouting reports, Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau should issue a personal challenge this morning to Wiggins, who is paid like a superstar and performs with all the reliability of airplane Wi-Fi.
In his last nine games, Wiggins has scored 20 points once and shot 50 percent or better from the field once. During that stretch, he’s averaging 14.4 points on 36.7 percent shooting, although his rebounding and steals numbers (6.4 and 1.7) were better than his season averages.
On Monday, in a win-or-be-laughed-out-of-the-state game, Wiggins made three of his 12 shots and scored seven points in 36 minutes. In a key loss to Denver last week, he got beat to a key rebound late in the game, then defended himself by saying, “I jumped.”
Tuesday, after practice, Wiggins was asked a slew of questions about the biggest game of his NBA career, and he paused before most of his answers, as if he hadn’t given them any prior thought.
His first answer was his best: “This is the biggest game of my basketball career, in general. Not only NBA, but college, on any level, this is the biggest game.”
Let’s see if he plays like he believes that.
In general, Wiggins has slightly improved his floor game of late, but No. 1 picks and maximum contract players are expected to dominate, not meander. Wiggins meanders like a St. Paul side street, playing hard enough in bursts to make us all realize what we’re missing the rest of the time.
Wiggins is one of Thibodeau’s stress points. Signing Wiggins, trading Ricky Rubio, bringing in Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and trading Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn for Jimmy Butler — these were the moves of a basketball boss who expected to win immediately. To sell out for the present and miss the playoffs would be the latest disaster for a franchise that could adopt the theme to “Titanic” as its pregame music.
There is nothing wrong with this group winning 46 games. What will nag all spring and summer, should they ever arrive, would be the way a pretty-good Wolves team failed to defend, often failed to make a full effort, and blew winnable games.
Wiggins is at the heart of their failings. He isn’t always engaged on defense — or on offense when he doesn’t have the ball.
The Wolves roster is stocked with effort players. When Wiggins floats, he stands out.
Don’t think the organization doesn’t notice. Butler’s recent comments about effort are directed at Wiggins, whether Butler will ever admit that publicly or not.
Intentionally or passively, Wiggins is positioning himself to be traded. There is a chance that Wednesday will be Wiggins’ last home game at Target Center. If traded, he would leave the franchise that was so thrilled to acquire him without playing in a single playoff game.
Like most talented athletes, Wiggins can write and rewrite his own story at any juncture of his career. Should he excel Wednesday and in the playoffs, he might be able to resurrect his stock. The Wolves are invested in wanting him to succeed.
But the fans who booed the Wolves on Monday night know that Wiggins has damaged his team’s playoff chances as well as his own reputation this season. Now is past time for Meh Jordan to play like he cares.