2021-22 NBA "REGULAR" SEASON THREAD

I got league pass cuz it's only $50 now and I'm watching the game but it's this weird "mosaic" thing with four weird camera angles going at the same time and it's kinda making me seasick

twolves being better at defense than offense is bizarre to me

yeah it's been pretty amazing this year, Vanderbilt is such a good defense and hustle guy

haven’t watched too many wolves games, but vanderbilt looks legit. great d

i would love to read an analysis of what the wolves are doing on defense to be near the top 10, you'd think any team playing russell, edwards, and KAT that much would be bottom 15 by default. vanderbilt looks like a monster but it can't just be him. finch?

i think that the wolves are several steps away from winning a playoff series, roster needs to get better, then you need to take your lumps, figure out how to play when opponents are game planning for you across 5-7 games etc but even tonight tho the warriors found some breathing room in the fourth you could see the potential of KAT and edwards as the kind of shot making duo that can carry a team to playoff wins just on the backs of their individual skill and shooting

here's a piece on the defensive scheme that Finch implemented in the off-season, that's been a big part of it. Finch isn't going to get that much attention because it's the Wolves but he is a good coach, he knows what he's doing, big change from Ryan Saunders

so I think it's s combo of the scheme, getting KAT, Ant and Dlo to buy in and actually put forth effort and maximizing their D, even if none of those guys will ever be great on D (though I guess at this point it's probably not wise to put any ceiling on Ant on anything)

also, the addition of Pat Bev, the emergence of Vando, and Josh Okogie who is great on D but it's hard to keep him on the court cuz of his offense

https://www.canishoopus.com/2021/10/28/22750980/the-evolution-of-the-wolves-defense

big bummer this year is how profoundly broken Malik Beasley. I swear if he didn't have that contract they would bounce him down to the G League

Jerami Grant, wherever he lands, is looking for a primary role and a 4-year, $100M extension this summer.

(via @TheSteinLine, https://t.co/lOqjCzgZ9U) pic.twitter.com/L6eUDBuzaf

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 28, 2022

I wish I had this guy's confidence

that seems about right

the money seems about what he could get but... these type of players, guys in the top ~50 range, tough to get right. theyre gonna be overpaid and you're almost better off getting 2-3 role players for less. especially if they arent willing to play their role and sacrifice for the team success.

brow and bron out tonight.

punting this season huh

hawks stadium announcer is calling young ice trey, very silly

hawks yellow unis with their gradient key is very 90s mcdonalds, in a good way

18-5 seven minutes into the game

two minutes into the game. pic.twitter.com/B8kix99J6i

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) January 29, 2022

starting to lose faith in this lakers team

that’s a cool pass

the balls are settling

westbrook's jump shot form on his game-winning attempt made me want to cry.

i was 8 years old once upon a time and coaches were on my ass about following through on your shot. follow through on your shot!!

NBA arena djs appear to be in a brinksmanship battle of who can consistently play the most annoying music during timoeouts

Glad to see Grayson Allen back in the lineup. He was recently a solid backup, but is now a decent starter!

stop

Hawks are good again

the knicks stink

32 from derozan and 30 from lavine in a game the bulls gave up 131 and lost, feels like there’s gonna be a lot of these kinda scenarios coming up for them

fourth seed jazz now 3.5 games behind memphis and only 1.5 games ahead of dallas and 2 ahead of denver

Glad to see Grayson Allen back in the lineup. He was recently a solid backup, but is now a decent starter!

He looks like the nephew of the murder victim in an 80s Agatha Christie movie where you know he did it in the first five minutes.

i liked this hollinger article ranking the 25 best defensive players of all time, some good history in here about stoppers and the ebb and flow of big man play and roles across eras. didn’t realize jason kidd was considered this good of a defender. i can post in the c/p thread if anyone who doesn’t have athletic access wants to read

https://theathletic.com/3093939/2022/01/27/nba-75-a-history-lesson-on-defense-and-ranking-the-25-best-defenders-of-all-time/

I’d like to read that one yeah thank you!

that last ranking is some basket-awww content

one thing that is clear from listening to/reading hollinger since he's been back in the media is that he would jump in front of a bullet for tony allen, marc, or mike conley. he really loves those guys.

great raps triple OT win

Vibe check on the wizards….

"I spoke up a little bit early on. It wasn't necessarily welcomed. So I try to do whatever's asked of me. End of the day, everybody has a role to play. It's about being accountable in your role”

Spencer Dinwiddie on taking leadership role with Wizards 👀
pic.twitter.com/uUebdjuLoe

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) January 30, 2022

Holy ****, Siakam. pic.twitter.com/NBRhW3Ak0C

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) January 30, 2022

He’s been awesome of late

one just hates seeing the lakers blow a big 4th quarter lead to the hawks

I’m getting super excited about Okongwu

hes so good, hawks will probably have to trade capela this summer

8 assists in the first quarter for jokic. the fact that the nuggets, without their 2nd and 3rd best players, are outplaying the full-strength world champions should underscore how silly the MVP conversation this year has been

lol i was fumbling around with some numbers a few minutes ago and came here to post "jokic quietly is running away with mvp rigth now right?" and got xposted that very thing

when there is a clear MVP, such as this year with nikola jokic clearly being the MVP, they should have a separate competition for the 2nd-MVP, so people can have fun debates about stuff. personally I think giannis and embiid are making strong cases for 2nd MVP

he's just as far away from the pack as he was last year in all the advanced stats

yeah it’s just not close

i think chris paul would be my vote for second most valuable player

ooh a man after mine own heart

giannis is averaging 29-11-6 and we also know he’s the best player in the NBA food for thought

sure, extremely cute averages, interesting how he’s outplayed by the actual MVP head to head, who’s averaging………better than that…… just putting that out there

the only vote that matters—mine—is firmly for the joker as of now

*it doesnt matter who the best player is the award is for who has played the best, unless one guy has played the best for too many years in a row