2020 NBA Bubble Ball Finals: Lakers vs Heat - Who You Got?

the celtics, bucks, and probably raptors are going to be favored over the heat next year. not saying they’re not a good team, just saying that jimmy’s well-known issues as a teammate might not get the same warm reception if they’re not two games away from an NBA championship

you’re making a tautological argument... they weren’t 2 games away from a title when they were a 4th/5th best team in the east during the regular season

the heat self selected for players who will tolerate jimmy butler before they even had jimmy butler

the devil will be in the trades - the heat are on the hunt for a big free agent, the raptors have to decide on fvv, and the celtics need to upgrade a starter who isnt tatum or brown

as great as the basketball has been i'm taking the bubble results with a massive grain of salt. it's pretty clear that neutral site has had a huge impact on the playoffs so i'll hold off on retconning that the heat were actually the best team in the east all along, etc.

i agree & have made similar arguments... that said i think the rosters are far more even on paper in the east than they are in the west w/ the LA teams heading into next season. and you could reasonably make the argument that jimmy is the playoff alpha dog in the east rn until proven otherwise. giannis, tatum, embiid etc may have better regular seasons than him but going into next year's playoffs i think the consensus will be that he is the one guy (in the east) you'd want for the playoffs. but there's no way the bucks and celtics series go the way they did if the heat had to play road games... i don't think that's very controversial to say

yup, agree completely

I for one do not think Jimmy Butler has two more historically great Finals games in him

I agree but that’s why they play the games I suppose.
I thought lakers in 6 when this started and - though I certainly didn’t imagine this route there - I still think Lakers in 6

he's 2 rebounds and 1 assist away from four straight triple doubles... i think the total point differential over the last 4 games is like 2 points. i don't think the heat will win game 6 bcuz i would never bet against lebron at this stage but i do think they can

you’re making a tautological argument... they weren’t 2 games away from a title when they were a 4th/5th best team in the east during the regular season

― J0rdan S., Saturday, October 10, 2020 10:41 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

he could “wear out his welcome” as they say. anyway I’m rooting for it to not happen because the heat are fun

neutral court playoffs should totally be a thing from now on but obviously won’t

bruh

playoffs crowds rule and are a massive part of nba lore

yeah red card for kev, rabid home fans rule

Wishful thinking but I was imaging how awesome Klay would be in the Duncan Robinson role ... but then again every team could use some Klay in their life

Especially in a game 6

Today is the day the largest number of ILH denizens picked the Lakers to win it all. Sorrowfully, for some of us, but our allegiance to hoops is strong and this is what our collective hoops wisdom said would happen. I'd be happy to be wrong. A Game 7 would be sweet!

gotta have game 7 baby

i kinda want to be right abt picking lakers in 6, it is v important to me that i am right

Frank Vogel says Anthony Davis’ right heel contusion will likely cause him to experience “soreness” in Game 6 but said that the adrenaline rush from the competition should help him push through it.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 11, 2020

*distant chanting growing louder* contusion contusion CONTUSION

GORAN ACTIVE

activate goran-o-bot

re the jimmy butler convo upthread i think he deserves some benefit of the doubt seeing as how he was on 3 of the most dysfunctional franchises before the heat

also he was good but not great in the celtics series (not that it mattered)

Goran Dragic (foot) is on the active roster tonight vs. Lakers for Game 6.

— Anthony Chiang (@Anthony_Chiang) October 11, 2020

Must see teevee

"Our first pre-bubble game was against the Lakers, and they complained from the first to the last minute, although it was a scrimmage, no TVs or anything. It’s just how the Lakers approach games."

- Evan Fournier

neutral court playoffs should totally be a thing from now on but obviously won’t

― k3vin k., Sunday, October 11, 2020 7:34 AM (eleven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

bruh

― micah, Sunday, October 11, 2020 9:43 AM (nine hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

playoffs crowds rule and are a massive part of nba lore

― micah, Sunday, October 11, 2020 9:44 AM (nine hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah red card for kev, rabid home fans rule

― lag∞n, Sunday, October 11, 2020 10:30 AM (eight hours ago)

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/279/386/6aa.jpg

re the jimmy butler convo upthread i think he deserves some benefit of the doubt seeing as how he was on 3 of the most dysfunctional franchises before the heat

― lag∞n, Sunday, October 11, 2020 6:44 PM (thirty minutes ago)

the t wolves team that got the 8 seed was actually a top 4 team in the west for a period before jimmy got hurt

i can't imagine dragic doing much tonight... he has basically not been able to move in the warm up videos they've shown this series

moving is a pretty nice basketball skill to have

since I'm not going to be able to actually watch this, does anyone have a favorite live blog?

i can't imagine dragic doing much tonight... he has basically not been able to move in the warm up videos they've shown this series

― J0rdan S., Sunday, October 11, 2020 7:21 PM (thirty-seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah nunn got on the floor before him

nvm!

lakers trying very hard on defense

It must be such a crazy feeling to have an incredibly painful injury that is also “safe” to play on. I guess there’s this and turf toe?

big chance for danny green to be the first player since robert horry to lead three different teams to a title

first ballot role palyer hollafamer for sure

Heat offense plan
1. Have perimeter player get past his man
2.???
3. Profit

Heat need the qtr to end

Can’t remember the last NBA championship team I disliked this much

shaq+kobe lakers were not likable at all

kobe + gasol lakers were even less likable!

I actually kinda like the roster, hate the fact that they could only construct it because they're LA

not sure how I feel about Dwight getting a ring this way

I hated the spurs teams that tried to injure people

that was technically just two ppl

dwight getting a ring is really hard for me to reckon with

it is a cosmic felony that if i want to watch the nba finals i have to listen to mark jackson monologue about "greatness"

Are there people that enjoy hearing mark Jackson in the booth?