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[ezzinomilonga]

Sorry.

I just could not resist. 

So at least there will be no need to troll other threads.  Not counting the fact that a NBA thread under the Finals it can't be a so wrong thing.

I hope that this thread can to thrive and to stay always well alive. Every kind of thought about this great game is welcomed. No matters if you want to talk about the NBA of our days of about the heroes of the past. If you think that Lebron is better then MJ or not. If you think that Durant is a Cup-Cake (of course is it!! ). If you think that Maradona is better then Pe... no no..sorry. i just confused myself. But i mean..No matters of what you wish to talks about or what do you love or not of this beautiful game : some passionated lad that will answer you i'm pretty sure it will be always

So..above the obvious thread about the finals, i wish to start with a perennial question. Do you really enjoy this era of the NBA or you're a bit nostalgic of some other era (as actually am i, at least a bit)?

[LKeet6]

I will have to be careful to avoid this thread at the times when I do not know the finals results, as I don't watch the games live!

Durant may be cupcake, but Westbrook is NOT a winning basketball player

The modern NBA is brilliant. The game is faster, more entertaining, and has less issues than it used to. All the rule changes down the years have helped. I like the new draft lottery changes too.

BUT, the NBA now has a BIG problem with the 3pt shot. It has skewed the game too much; and I don't understand why, when they always made changes before when one aspect of the game became too dominant, why they don't seriously look at changing the 3pt shot.

Average shooters can knock down the corner 3 way too frequently; the 3pt shot need to be the best shooters. I'd say, amongst other changes, they need to get rid of the corner 3. Either make the line go right to the corner, or make the court 2ft wider on each side, which would be a big change, but not a big enough change to "ruin anything." I've seen suggestions of changing the size or rules of the paint to bring back post play as well.

I am getting very sick of seeing players jack up 3s game. It's very one dimensional, and starts to seem like whoever gets hot from 3 wins.

Ezzino, you need to give us your mount Rushmore

[ezzinomilonga]

A Rushmore is hard to figure out. They are hours that i'm thinking about it It depends if i have to choose they that was for me the best players..or just who i love the most. And they are two very different montains

Well. In the first case :

1) Michael Jeffrey Jordan (i can't do anything about this. I fear i'll never see again someone so IN CONTROL of himself, of his opponents, of the whole game. He is not the GOAT. He's just a man from another planet. Mentally,first of all)

And then it becomes hard.

Uff..ok ok. Let's try in this way. In no order.

2-3-4) Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, John Stockton, Kareem.

(i use the trick of Crazy Horse too so at least we have a complete team )

But..while all the other choice are in fact immediately selfexplicatory,John Stockton (to Malone!!!) deserve some word to be spended.
He for me was just incredible. A miracle. A joke of the nature. It was the mind of a genius of the game ( for me his mind was the one that every real playmaker should to have), prisoned in the body of an employee (who suffers of Anemhya)...all surrounded by the soul of an irish sonofabeach,tough as a coffin's neal.
Never seen a lad like he was.

And so, today, when a playmaker go to retire, IF he played at least 15 years, IF he never suffered serious injuries, IF he played in a team strong enough to allows him to score a great amount of assists every game (and i stop here with the IF but i could continue a bit), when he looks at the assists all time standings, he can only say "well..IF i could play at least another 4-5 season,maybe i could end near to him."

Obviously in this parade there are so much, the guys who deserved some consideration...talking just about my "era". (edit : I know i cheated,they are also players older...sorry. I just can't resist) Steve Nash..Timmy Duncan...Isaiah Thomas ( when injured )..Dr J..Larry&Magic..Hakeem!!! Oh God..i forgot Larry,Magic and Hakeem. Uff.. 👀 no mate..i can't figure it out!! Suddenly they are at least 20,the players who deserve a place. It is needed the whole Himalaya. A mount can't be good enough

Anyway..about thetoday's game,my question was intended exactly about the 3 shot redundancy. And only in a minimal part about some loss of toughness, allowed anyway by the rules, so i suppose is just the way the things needs to go. I have no big complains about this,but about the fact that when i see to play some team,i'm not sure that i'm not watching just some kind of all star game's 3pt shot's contest. I really don't like it. I admire the guys who are so good in this fundamental..but it steal something to the game i love.

But about the today's rules, the one i really can't accept is the one that allows the shooter to jump just forward (or directly on his side) to catch the defender's foul just invading his needed bloody space. Is the reason why i really dislike Harden's attitude. When he shoots or when he goes in, he's always hunting fouls. Acting quite bad,also. And i KNOW that,if he tried doing so in the '90s against...for example..Kurt Thomas to cite one lad casually..he should pass at least 5 months per season injured. Seriously injured.

About Westbrook..i think that he suffers a great misunderstanding. He's a great player,an extraordinary athlete and generous guy on the field..i can see that he just give everything to win...but he's an awful playmaker. Awful. One of the worst i ever saw.

With the obvious differencies to made..he remember me a lot the first Allen Iverson. Strong..Brave..who want to win desperately. A great player. But another awful playmaker.
To explode..he needed a man of common sense as Larry Brown is, that just convince him to try to play as a SG, leaving the role of PM to Eric Snow. With this move and with a team no so strong at all, but builded just to play with and FOR him..he almost realize something that should be remembered as the great David vs Golia's (underdog was not enough as a word) win of all the NBA history.

Always about Russell (but not only) another very sad thing is that it seems to me that today the great players are really convinced that they are so strong that they don't need to hear what the head coach says. (every kind of comparison with the 23 of the lakers is NOT casual at all. And i think he's the greatest player of this era) (but an awful GM and/or Head Coach).

[ezzinomilonga]

(don't worry about some spoiler about the Finals..i could never steal your pleasure to see the match without knowing the score..i'll wait )

I'm really courious about the free agency this summer. They are a good number of teams that needs to decide what to do trying to improve and then to fight for a ring. Boston, Clippers, Houston, Milwaukee, Phila or also Denver and Portland...
But i'm also courious to see how those teams that struggled will change to be competitive : my NY, LA, San Antonio, OKC, Brooklin..long list here.

But my biggest couriosity is about what it will happens to Golden State.
I mean..every cycle ends,soon or later. And in this last 2 years it seemed to be evident that they have some ("normal",considering how hard is to stay always concentrated and fully involved in what a Team means and needs, above the Ego of the singles) real issues in their locker room.
I'm pretty sure that "i like to win easy" KD it could embrace a different challenge to show that he can win even in some different situation,where he should be the real Go to Guy and leader.
But also people like Draymond Green should be pretend to go or to monetize his importance. Who knows,maybe also Thompson could think to embrace a new challenge..even if it seems unbeliavable to imagine the splash brothers divided.
Furthermore they needs a better rotation. Livingstone (how much i respect this guy!! He come back after an injury really terrible. I'm always so happy when i see hin on the field...) started to struggle to play everytime on his level...Iggy is a great,but he's not becoming younger..so,for all these reasons, i have the doubt that this could be the last dance of this incredible group as we know it. We'll see.

I'm also want to see where will play people as Leonard, Irving, Davis, Kemba and so go on.

But above all, i wish sooo badly to see NY finally play as a real team again.

[LKeet6]

I'm not on the KD hate wagon. He knew he wouldn't win with Westbrook, and he was right, gsw had the cap space and why can't Durant go there like others have gone to teams to chase a ring??

I thought green was starting the decline, but he's completely shown he's just started that period of career where you save it for playoffs; he's been amazing. I think the locker room will be ok without Durant. Thompson and curry put up with green.

They defo have depth issues tho. Livingston is done, Iggy may not have enough for another season, and they have very little else. Not even sure they have cap space after durant leaves??

I think Durant and Irving will go to the knicks. I think Irving leaving will be a mixed blessing for Celtics. Something wasn't right there. But losing that talent for nothing hurts.

I think Kemba walker is the knicks' backup plan if they don't get Irving. Lakers and Dallas will also be interested. Lakers will not be happy with their business.

Leonard will go clippers.

The other big question is what happens with Davis. Will he have a change of heart now that the pels will have Zion? Will the Celtics give up half their team, after already losing irving, to get their man? Will the Lakers have enough to get it done? Will the pelicans even deal with them?

[ezzinomilonga]

Oh no mate..there's a misunderstanding here. I don't hate KD. I don't hate anyone in sport. And i'll never do. In fact, i really can't understand just the simple idea to be an hater of someone. Ever. Is a word that i hate ( ) and it's a word that for me should just to desappear from the dictionnary of every sportsman and/or supporter and from the whole world of sport. 
At worst, i can despise someone. But i reserve my disdain just for those guys who plays their sport unfairly in some inacceptable way. I mean cheaters, racists, who acts like a bully on the field pretending to be just tough, dissimulators, (those last are the reason why i can't almost see anymore a football match, expecially here in Italy, Everytime i see a player 190 cm tall per 90 kilos who is just caressed by a defender and then it fall on the ground just if someone had shot him..i wish just to puke. In his mouth. Then play 5 minutes against him just to shows him what ACTUALLY a fault is. When i play with my friends, to see someone falling on the ground he's needed a tank. Or a murder ) ...but KD is not this kind of player. He deserves just respect. Always.

I just like to tease him a bit. But with no acrimony at all...and just cause i'm deeply convinced that he's one of the 4-5 greatest players of this era and probably the more complete (if not just the best) offensive weapon i ever saw (live, at least). And he's also a good defender, when he decide it and/or when it matters. Is exactly for this reason that i'm so "critic" with his choice : he was just too strong to choose JUST that team. He's not Cousins, i mean!!
What if Lebron should make the same choice? (And he already did it more or less, in fact, when he goes to Miami But Bosh was an overrated player, for me. And the real big third for me was just Jesus (what a player...what a grace..poetry in motion. Always. How much i miss him) and, by the way, at least he choosed a team strong, true, but with some doubt to solve (Spoelstra, the bench..) i mean.. To win they had some work to do. To build something.
while it was really too obvious that with KD Golden State should be simply illegal. 

But i agree. Absolutely. To stay at OKC would be absolutely a waste for him. Of time and talent. No way.

And...mate, please, don't make me dream. Irving and KD would be so good for my NY... About Irving, i think he's just not the right "profile" to represent the Boston Pride and style. Or, more simply, to fit with the attack based on flow and  ball moving and "team above all" that Stevens teaches and wishes. For him this playoffs seemed as if everything was based on his need to show that he's a winner even without Lebron. And everything became also a lot harder cause he (and Hayward) had also to deal with the hard fact that, without both of them, last year Boston played as a contender. Always. Is not a coincidence that also the youngs who exploded last years, failed to perform well this year. Or to grown as expected. 
Probably is not a question of someone's fault. He's just incompatibility. It happens.
But, for some reason, i couldn't say why, i suspect that he could go to LA and re-join Lebron, instead to NY. In this last months he acted in a pretty strange way, as if he was suddenly awared that this idea to "disown" his past with Lebron is simply stupid and that is not so bad, actually, to stay with the king at your side.

And at the same time LA really needs to pick some great name. With no room for errors this time. Lebron has not 5-6 years to spend, i fear... And Irving should be a wise move, looking at this side of the problem..

There's also the Brooklyn's chance. If i'm not wrong, isbthe team he supports.

At the same time Kemba should be anyway great for NY. I like him. He sounds to me as the DAME of the East. Underestimated..and convinced to be the strongest   I really like this aptitude. Always. Is the Zlatanism.
By the way, i also think that if Dallas picks a very good playmaker, they could be a team really talented. Really. Doncic is something that happens every 20-25 years. And if the unicorn...

I think Davis will leave NO. Boston could be a great place for him. Here it would not be requested him to be an "emotional" leader (something he's not good to be) but just to play as he can. And should be a huge upgrade for that team.
I also think that soon or later the franchise will go away from New Orleans. It would be sad (i always imagined New Orleans as a beautiful place, full of music and colors..i wish so much to see this city..), but his market is small (the smaller of the NBA, if do i remember well?) and there is Seattle tgat probably should be a very better choice for the whole NBA, i imagine. (Above the fact that Seattle NEEDS a NBA franchise. And they deserve it. I miss those colors.)

About Leonard..i don't know. I think Lebron will try EVERYTHING to steal him to the Clippers. He's the best box-to-box player (box-to-box it can be used in Basket?? ) of the NBA. Just a mad could not want to have him in his own team. And t must be not so easy to say no to a team like that. Even when they struggles. I don't know if this finals can change something in his mind, anyway. I still wish to understand what really happened with Popovich (God will protect him for another 20 years...What should be the NBA without him? I have still to recover for the retires of Kobe, Timmy and Manu...Pop it should be simply too much to). He seems to be a quite strange guy. Probably if Toronto lose the ring it should be some chance that he stay, if he believe he can win here. In the end, why to came in the wild West unless you have a team strong enough to compete with GS? Staying at east it could be not a stupid move.

And..well. Too synthetic?                                                                 (sorry...is stronger then me.)

[LKeet6]

The issue with Davis going to Celtics is that Davis has said he doesn't like the way ainge treats the players there; like assets (which is what they are really! But I kind of see what he means.) He said something like "there's no loyalty in Boston."

From what I've read, Leonard has NO interest in playing second fiddle to James. My understanding is ONLY clippers and raps have a chance of signing him.

Irving going to the Lakers, after all the Cavs drama, would be HILARIOUS. I keep telling myself "surely not??" But more and more people are suggesting it.

[ezzinomilonga]

I know it...but..i don't know

What i learned is that often logic and coherence means nothing in this kind of situation. (just to say...in this days we can see how much this is true looking a symbol,maybe THE symbol, of the Juventus, with all that this means, signing to become the head coach of the Internazionale FC. Just impossible.)
And also words means very little.
About Davis,i think that if,at the end of the ride,he should to see that there are no better teams then Boston to have a chance to win,he will forgive easily the Ainge's lack of humanity. We'll see.
The same for Irving with Lebron. About Leonard,it sounds a bit more possible that he really should prefer to don't play under the shadow of Lebron. And for the Clippers he would be...wow..

In all these years, about Lebron, i just can't still decide where some lack of fortune ends..and where starts some fault that he could have, for the great number of missed opportunity to win a lot of rings more. I am not a huge fan of his attitude to be a One Man Band, the choosen one and all this kind of things. He's something never seen. But it seema to me he never tried really to be just a part (and what a part) of a REAL team. Everything has to exist and live around him. I don't like so much this Lebroncentrism. Here in Italy the press (for the little that they says about NBA) started to consider him in his Sunset Boulevard...but i'm not so sure that is a so good idea to consider him as "dead".
And after the Magic's chaos and all this pressure, now i'm really,really curious to see what it will happens to Lakers.

[LKeet6]

I don't like James, but he's clearly one of the best players ever, as far as I can see. His playoff performances are amazing, he just came up against the warriors, who are an all-time great time.

James utterly destroyed the east, and would beat any team not named warriors in the finals.

[ezzinomilonga]

Totally agree. He is good almost as MJ,on his ability to elevate his level when it matters. Just like you, i don't like so much the kind of player he is, but i admire enormously his willing to improve himself as a player. Always. He builted in these years a pretty good 3 shot..he improved also from the free shot line. And he's very good to pass the ball. And i like a lot his professional attitude,always taking care of his body. A great,there's nothing to say.
My only doubt is that, at least with his last version of the Cavs (not so easy to improve, considering how much money were wasted on players no good enough or simply satisfied and with 0 market like Tristan Thompson or JR Smith), i'm not so sure that staying at Cleveland this year he could beat one of the four East contenders. Maybe Boston. But Phila, Milwaukee and Toronto would be very hard.
For sure to see him in theplayoffs of the wild west would be interesting. And it will. I can't believe that LA can fail another season with the players that they can pick.

(anyway..i'm thinking about a team made not by the strongest, but just by my beloved players. And a head coach. 10 players. Just to say. )

(i already know that i'll cheat, but you pretend to don't notice anything strange )

[boffo]

Not a basketball fan in any way, but living an hour outside Toronto I just have to say that I find the huge number of bandwagon jumpers around here to be hilarious.  People at work who have obviously never watched a game up until a couple weeks ago trying to discuss the team and pretending they've been a fan for years.  Claiming that they suddenly think they enjoy watching basketball more than hockey despite the fact that come October they'll watch hockey every night and won't watch another basketball game until the Raptors are in the playoffs again.

I know this phenomena isn't unique to this area but outside the Blue Jays a few years ago Toronto hasn't had anything remotely resembling sports success since the early 90's so it's a humourous rarity to see all these "fans" pop up out of nowhere all of a sudden.

[ezzinomilonga]

Jun 3, 2019 16:35:56 GMT -5 boffo said:

Not a basketball fan in any way, but living an hour outside Toronto I just have to say that I find the huge number of bandwagon jumpers around here to be hilarious.  People at work who have obviously never watched a game up until a couple weeks ago trying to discuss the team and pretending they've been a fan for years.  Claiming that they suddenly think they enjoy watching basketball more than hockey despite the fact that come October they'll watch hockey every night and won't watch another basketball game until the Raptors are in the playoffs again.

I know this phenomena isn't unique to this area but outside the Blue Jays a few years ago Toronto hasn't had anything remotely resembling sports success since the early 90's so it's a humourous rarity to see all these "fans" pop up out of nowhere all of a sudden.

I suspect thos thing happens everywhere. Ir's worst when it happens in things more important then a sport. And even if it stays an hilarious thing to see..in the end is fine when people can share some great joy. Normally, sadly, when a huge amount of people empatize, is for some tragedy.
(and...just to say...to jump into the caravan of the winner is a national sport, here in Italy. )
I'm happy for Toronto anyway. It sounds like a great place where to live. And is the first time,if i'm not wrong, that a not from USA franchise reaches the NBA final.
Something huge. Enjoy the party for (at worst) game 5!

[boffo]

Not sure if it applies to other regions or not but NBA2K19 is currently on massive sale on the PSN(and I've heard XBox) store for $2.99 USD or $3.99 CAD.  Still not a basketball fan but for 4 bucks I couldn't pass it up.

[ezzinomilonga]

Jun 7, 2019 15:09:19 GMT -5 boffo said:

Not sure if it applies to other regions or not but NBA2K19 is currently on massive sale on the PSN(and I've heard XBox) store for $2.99 USD or $3.99 CAD.  Still not a basketball fan but for 4 bucks I couldn't pass it up.

great news! Sadly, i have just no time to enjoy another game..and tgc 2019 already stealed the time i was used to spend on Rfactor (another game great just for his community). Maybe when i'll finish my list i'll start again to play my Indycar championship...

I remember i played NBA live 97 on my pc when i was in high-school. Using keyboard. I tweaked every team and player to made them the more realistic it was possible using their stats...then i started (and completed!!) a season playing EVERY game of the regular season and playoffs, using in the 1 and 2nd quarter a team and the other team in 3rd and 4th quarter. Every quarter 8 minutes. I remember i was used to play with the view from the top of the field. It was a beauty. And using this visual, i was good enough to play following the designed strategies. It was very realistic, played in this way. I spended almost two years to realize this absurd plan ( i had also a life to live ). How much fun...

[ezzinomilonga]

boffo (i can't imagine what is happening in Toronto, right NOW. I imagine it will be some pure madness )