charles sullivan
Life of the Party
Tatum was unguardable.
NBA Playoffs 2023
- Thread starter Brute
- Start date
jact55
Life of the Party
My prediction lives on. Lol
He’s not pushing the Joker around…
The real MVP is still playing. I was not amused by Embiid getting the "sympathy" vote for MVP because he hadn't won it before. And also because so many of the NBA talking heads were opposed to Jokic getting it in 3 consecutive years. As good as Davis is I can't see him besting Jokic in a 7 game series. If the Lakers should somehow win it will probably be the result of LeBron of just willing them to win. A Celtic-Laker showdown would have a lot of TV appeal, the other teams not so much.
Still, the season is waaay too long! This crap should have been settled in April, not drug into June. Injures mount up and certainly influence the outcome of the games. These are huge men, some of the biggest on the planet, playing in their underwear and crashing into each other at top speed. As big and strong as they are, back-to-backs and a brutal travel schedule will wear down the strongest human. A 60 game season played in 6 weeks less would produce a viable champion but produce less revenue. And we all know what revenue means to sports...
Still, the season is waaay too long! This crap should have been settled in April, not drug into June. Injures mount up and certainly influence the outcome of the games. These are huge men, some of the biggest on the planet, playing in their underwear and crashing into each other at top speed. As big and strong as they are, back-to-backs and a brutal travel schedule will wear down the strongest human. A 60 game season played in 6 weeks less would produce a viable champion but produce less revenue. And we all know what revenue means to sports...
Doubt your C's lose tonight, but damn, that was a fun game (for me) to watch. I just love Jimmy Butler's game and his attitude.
I’m a fan of JB as well…just not now
joefromchicago
Steelhead
These guys today are pu$$ies. When Wilt Chamberlin averaged 50.7 ppg and 26.7 rpg, his most impressive stat was 48.5 mpg. With the exception of one game that he was thrown out of with six minutes to go and including six overtimes, two of which were double OT and one triple OT, he played every minute of every game. Do the research and you will find that he was probably the greatest athlete this planet ever produced and would destroy any of these guys today, guaranteed.
Don't get me wrong, I love the sport and think they are the best athletes on the planet, but these days I think that NBA stands for Nothing But Ass-kissing and barely rates above pro-wrestling; although it has improved somewhat, it's still a joke. And if this year's finals boils down to the Lakers-Celtics, I'm done with it. But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
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Wilt was head and shoulders above the players of his time…but the skill level and athleticism has changed dramatically since then.
Yes, you could be wrong…
BDD
Steelhead
I'd like to see Denver and Miami in the finals...if nothing else than something different than the Lakers and Celtics.
Regarding Chamberlain, I don't think there has ever been anyone who had the size, length, strength, stamina, endurance, jumping ability, and quickness all rolled into a single body. Does that make him the greatest ever? Most say no. He had trouble with free throws and his stats generally declined in the playoffs compared to the regular season. It appears he may have been more concerned with his night life than beating Russell and the stacked Celtics. But his stats are unbelievable. Has there ever been a better scorer, rebounder, shot blocker, and when he wanted, passer all rolled into one? Had they counted blocked shots his entire career, he likely would be the the all time leader, he and Russell so far ahead of the pack like rebounds. As mentioned, the 48.5 minutes per game for the entire season may be more impressive than the 50 points per game, the 26 rebounds per game, the 100 point game, the career 30/20 (nobody has ever done that), the league leader in assists, or never fouling out of a game. Can you imagine playing every minute of the season? No injuries, no resting, no ejections (okay, just one).
The four things the league did to reduce his dominance was widening the lane, disallowing inbounding over the backboard, offensive goal tending, and jumping from the free throw line. By incorporating the last one, he went from jumping and making almost every one to a 50% shooter. Not sure I agree with the argument that today's players are more athletic, back then he played against plumbers and 6 foot white guys. If Chamberlain was born after The Big Diesel and saw him dip his shoulders and back his opponent down and dunk it, don't you think Chamberlain would have developed his game with the approach? Don't you think they would have been doing the Euro step years ago if it were developed? You don't think he would have benefitted from modern conditioning, footwear, diet, and all the other advantages and improvements that have been developed over time? Would Jordan have been as spectacular if he'd been born 30 years earlier and never saw Dr. J glide through the air for dunks and layups? It's all relative. I just try to appreciate greatness while I can.
Regarding Chamberlain, I don't think there has ever been anyone who had the size, length, strength, stamina, endurance, jumping ability, and quickness all rolled into a single body. Does that make him the greatest ever? Most say no. He had trouble with free throws and his stats generally declined in the playoffs compared to the regular season. It appears he may have been more concerned with his night life than beating Russell and the stacked Celtics. But his stats are unbelievable. Has there ever been a better scorer, rebounder, shot blocker, and when he wanted, passer all rolled into one? Had they counted blocked shots his entire career, he likely would be the the all time leader, he and Russell so far ahead of the pack like rebounds. As mentioned, the 48.5 minutes per game for the entire season may be more impressive than the 50 points per game, the 26 rebounds per game, the 100 point game, the career 30/20 (nobody has ever done that), the league leader in assists, or never fouling out of a game. Can you imagine playing every minute of the season? No injuries, no resting, no ejections (okay, just one).
The four things the league did to reduce his dominance was widening the lane, disallowing inbounding over the backboard, offensive goal tending, and jumping from the free throw line. By incorporating the last one, he went from jumping and making almost every one to a 50% shooter. Not sure I agree with the argument that today's players are more athletic, back then he played against plumbers and 6 foot white guys. If Chamberlain was born after The Big Diesel and saw him dip his shoulders and back his opponent down and dunk it, don't you think Chamberlain would have developed his game with the approach? Don't you think they would have been doing the Euro step years ago if it were developed? You don't think he would have benefitted from modern conditioning, footwear, diet, and all the other advantages and improvements that have been developed over time? Would Jordan have been as spectacular if he'd been born 30 years earlier and never saw Dr. J glide through the air for dunks and layups? It's all relative. I just try to appreciate greatness while I can.
I agree with all your points…my point is that the level of play is much higher than during his time. Yes, he would still be a great player today…but his stats would be nowhere near what they were then…do you still think he would score a 100 points in the modern era playing against 6’7” point guards, 6’10” power forwards and a plethora of large talented centers? He was a man amongst boys then…today he would Still be a dominant center, but the competition would be much stiffer…
joefromchicago
Steelhead
There's a guy who did his research. One thing I would add was how strong he was. Dude benched 550 in college and set a age-specific record at 68 years old at 465, three years before he died (there's a humorous story about it when he met Shwarzenegger on the set of "Conan the Barbarian" in the weight room that's worth checking out). One site claimed Shaq never benched over 450 but I'm not sure of the validity of that statement.
He's still the only player not a guard to lead the league in assists, although Jokić is pushing him on that one.
As to his night life, he was a lifelong insomniac. He slept not one wink before that 100 point game and had to drive himself from New York to Philadelphia to get on the team bus. That game is packed with amusing anecdotes and well worth checking out.
After he retired, he took up volleyball. Heard there's a picture him jumping with the belt on his shorts even with the top of the net. Can you even imagine being panelled by that that guy?
The level of play may be higher, but the game at the time was rebound and run and nobody was better at that than those Celtic teams, but the level of injuries seems to be much higher these days and I see this across all the major sports leagues. Anyone remember when the Raptors won the championship when all of the Warrior big three came up lame? I would also point out that the players of his time were the best players on the planet, check out their record in the Olympics some time.There's so much more I could add but haven't seen anything that contradicts my opinion of him as the greatest athlete ever.
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joefromchicago
Steelhead
But I'm not.
Jim Thorpe
Bo Jackson…All Star in two sports
Anyone who has won the Iron Man Triathlon
Anyone who has won the gold medal in the decathlon in the Olympics
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Michael1227
Smolt
I admit that I haven't gas about the NBA since Bird, but who are the Dubs?
Warriors