Would you take Butler\Adebayo over Embiid\old Harden? The Sixers messed up keeping Tobias\Simmons over Jimmy.

Morey didn't hire Doc IIRC so he will bring in Mike D most likely.

Anyway I am not saying Spolestra is a bad coach he is obviously an excellent coach and I was surprised to hear early in the playoffs he might be on the hot seat. But if you don't win in over a decade you shouldn't be surprised.

This is my first time ever watching the lottery and holy **** is it cringe. I thought the NFL milked draft coverage but this is a whole new level of autism trying to milk ping pong balls and envelopes being read.

Hot take: Wemby is too tall and will be injury prone.

Apparently he's the hottest prospect since James. Lol

Almost everyone his height hasn't lasted more than a few years. Its a good lock. Once you are 7'1"+ its not likely youll be healthy long

Wembayama to San Antonio

The biggest **** in the NBA gets to coach him. **** the Spurs.

Portland getting #3 and the right to restart the Jailblazers with Brandon Miller is low-key awesome.

Dude may be a menace under Pop

Draymond Green replaced Pop?

Hoping the Thunder would get a tad higher to be able to pick Whitmore or Gradey Dick. They are in Keyonte George territory who will be a volume shooting shitball.

Spurs the shittest boring franchise to win multiple titles. **** that team. **** that **** Pop.

ESPN2 has a Stephen A version of the broadcast. Think I’ll pass…

Denver in 5

Lakers are clearly taking this one off, they've done this in certain games throughout the postseason so far. Series comes down to game 2.

Jokic has 10 rebounds in 8 minutes. AD might want to show up defensively at some point?

If Denver executes like that, no one is going to beat them. That was an excellent quarter. I wouldn't feel that bad if I was LA.

Agreed (if Murray and Porter are hitting 3s you aren't beating them), but AD needs to actually try to give the Lakers any chance. He's just going through the motions for another game here.

Long way to go but yeah..Denver looking good

Davis ate his ****ing lunch there.

AD starting to actually wake up and play basketball this quarter. If he does, we'll have a game.

Jokic reminds me a lot of KD. He can score when ever he feels like it

That might be the best sequence of Porter's career.

Jokic with an excellent flop to end the half on a play he had no chance of keeping possession on.

You can't call that on Rui and swallow the whistle on Davis' drive.

Someone really needs to tell Russell to stop jacking up stupid shots. Unfortunately that's his entire game.

That was a really impressive half by Denver. They had four guys in double figures.

Oh shit didn’t see that the draft lottery was tonight and the Spurs got #1.

Pop won’t have to retire now

JJ Reddick was talking today that when playing in Pile High you feel the worst in the 1st and 3rd quarters. So far that is how it is playing out for the Lakers.

Without reading the thread and only seeing the score in the 3rd, let me guess, kcc is blaming LeBron's teammates for not being good enough.

It's incredible that anybody watched Jokic this year and thought he wasn't the best player in the league. He's so far and above anyone else right now.

I heard in a podcast that they’re trying to push the narrative that he’s not as tall as they measured. ROFL usually it’s the other way.

Love that Lebron is backing down more. He should do that more

None of the Lakers have been good enough. No defensive effort for nearly the entire game.

Well, he did actively do as little as possible for the better part of a month. The NBA will always lean away from that because it behoves them.

Now, Embiid was dinged up and Jokic is healthy so there’s that.

All depends on how much energy he has, it seems. If he could have the ball all the time like most of his career, he would definitely do it.

Jokic doing as little as possible is still posting triple doubles in his sleep though. He's one of the greatest offensive players in basketball history and I'm still not sure that has been fully appreciated by most.

Ha ha

So is that Jokic or Steph Curry?

Steph Curry isn't that clutch though I guess.

Jesus Christ.

What a goddamn monster.

31-19-12 on 12 of 15 shooting.

At the end of the 3rd.

Kendrick Perkins says you're racist.

Good thing he didn’t win the MVP again…..

The anti-Jokic discourse over the past two months there to somehow push a vote Embiid's way was certainly something.

I believe that is because no one watches Nuggets games until now

I watch them all the time because this guy is one of the greatest basketball players ever. A true basketball genius. Perhaps everyone will realize it now.

Denver should be doubling LeBron in the post. He can take every guard they have there, even at his age.

Lakers are playing much better defense now and Denver is still making prayers to maintain the lead. If they continue this effort into game 2 though...

Fast five has gotten so damn ridiculous

Murray is 12 for 18 (4 for 6 from three). Not beating this team too often when that happens.

Denver pulling away now.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Draymond Green told me that he believes the Warriors would still be playing if it wasn’t for the incident between him and Jordan Pool <a href="https://t.co/B9txJCl0OY">pic.twitter.com/B9txJCl0OY</a></p>&mdash; Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephenasmith/status/1658664833464651776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So based on what he says here, I guess Draymond thinks if he got to beat up Poole more during the season instead of just before it, they would have done better?

What!?

Yeah, this is a pretty classic 'what can ya do...' game.

Denver doesn't lose games with this many guys playing this well and Jokic being Jokic.

I mean credit to LA for staying pretty feisty throughout.

Wait, Lebron has been to 12 conference finals but only has 4 titles? Is that correct?

What do you mean what? Jokic, Porter, and Murray have each hit threes/long 2s over the past six minutes with guys hanging all over them. If you keep up this 2nd half effort in game 2, the Lakers have a solid chance.

That's what happens when a 73 win team begs the 2nd best player in the world to join them so they can beat a single player, yeah.

They certainly didn't mail it in as they've done with some of those road playoff games so far, which is what I expected.

They were brutal defensively in the 1st half, but if they can repeat this 2nd half next game they can win.

Interesting stuff is happening...

That 3 pointer right before halftime sealed that game. Even Davis knew it with his smile.

Reaves! Would love to see Jokic get clowned

I assume you're not watching the game right now...

Lol. 3 pt game. Jokic better do something

Lebronso the exquisite 3 pt bricker. Just a bad shot

Credit to Hachimura - that dude is putting EVERYTHING into guarding Jokic and doing credible work of it.

Looks like Denver is gonna survive just barely, but the Lakers defense completely shut them down in the last 6 minutes. Very good signs for the rest of the series. Just need this effort level the entire game 2!

Lebron choked it away.

Choked what away? They were never in position to win anything. He brought them back from 20 down in a little over a quarter with great two-way basketball.

Kobe the real goat would have never choked as hard as lebron has

Lakers just found something there, yeah. AD can now guard Green or Gordon and shut down the interior.

Lebron choked

Yeah. Once he got the ball knocked away the game was effectively done.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game 1: GS down 114-112 with 1:08 left<br><br>Steph MISSES game tying shot<br><br>Game 4: GS down 102-101 with 0:26 left<br><br>Steph MISSES go-ahead shot<br><br>Game 4: GS down 102-101 with 0:17 left<br><br>Steph MISSES go-ahead shot<br><br>Warriors would&#39;ve won if Steph was clutch. Hate to see it (not really)</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1657275394137944064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nah, this is choking.

Lebron has a knack for chucking up low IQ 3s at the end of close games during pivotal possessions. Did something similar in one of the GSW losses. Needs to relax on looking for those stupid legacy shot looks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shots to tie/take lead in final 70 seconds in playoffs (UPDATED):<br><br>LeBron: 24-47 FG - 57.4% eFG<br>Durant: 11-37 FG - 33.8% eFG<br> Kobe: 13-45 FG - 33.3% eFG<br>Duncan: 6-22 FG - 29.5% eFG<br> Harden: 4-19 FG - 28.9% eFG<br> Steph: 6-26 FG - 28.8% eFG<br> Russ: 4-28 FG - 16.1% eFG</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1653821789041041410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kobe?

Kobe is actually one of the worst players ever in the final possessions of games

You'd murder Curry for missing that 3 to tie....

So I said Game 1 will tell me a lot of things. I don’t think the Lakers can get another 40 pt game from AD and hold Jokic to 4-5 pts n the 4th. Still think 5 maybe 6 games for Denver

Except that isn't true at all. He has a 20-year knack for making the right play routinely in such spots (which is why idiots have criticized him for years and years for passing instead of shooting in the clutch).

He had an open 3 there to tie the game. He just missed it. I'll take my chances there given his propensity for clutch shot making in general.

Sure, but Curry hasn't made a big shot in his entire career in the playoffs. LeBron is probably the clutchest shot maker statistically in history (50%+). You're not gonna make 'em all.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Career on shots to take the lead in the final 50 seconds of 4th Q/OT in the playoffs (UPDATED):<br><br>LeBron James: 17-29 FG<br>Stephen Curry: 0-14 FG</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1655800174638243840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

If I block that ****ing dickrider on Twitter will his posts stop showing up when you mindlessly regurgitate his insecure drivel?

I'd rather listen to Quesadilla Joe talk about the broncos than see more goddamn handjobs from that one-note queer.