***Official 2022-2023 NBA Thread***

[dirk digler]

Can't believe the regular season starts tonight. Just seemed like the Finals ended a couple weeks ago.



Philly vs Celtics: 6:30PM CST TNT

GSW vs Lakers: 9:00PM CST TNT

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

It's the refs that have allowed Jokic to shoot 57 for 100 this series in only four games? Durant has shot 5 more FTs than Jokic in this series.

It is the refs that let him commit countless offensive fouls with no calls. Sorry, but when you dribble through the defender, push off, and elbow your way to the basket over and over with no call, the only conclusion is the officials are allowing you to commit offensive fouls.

Rule 12B, Section II, page 45 of the NBA rule book states:

a. A dribbler shall not (1) charge into an opponent who has established a legal guarding position, or (2) attempt to dribble between two opponents, or (3) attempt to dribble between an opponent and a boundary, where sufficient space is not available for illegal contact to be avoided.

b. If a defender is able to establish a legal position in the straight line path of the dribbler, the dribbler must avoid contact by changing direction or ending his dribble.

c. The dribbler must be in control of his body at all times. If illegal contact occurs, the responsibility is on the dribbler.

Jokic routinely throws his ass, shoulder, or elbow into defenders who have established legal position, or just flat out pushes the defender away with his off arm, forcing his way to the basket.

IDGAF what you think. The NBA literally has a section in the rulebook that outlines what Jokic does as an offensive foul.

I am not saying he isn't extremely talented, or that he isn't an extremely skilled player. I am saying he violates the rules, AS THEY ARE WRITTEN BY THE NBA AND NOT BY KC_Connection, and he very rarely gets called for it.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

The only horseshit on that play was the owner involving himself in the game when he had no business doing so and getting away with it. Actually release the ball next time instead of holding on to it and then knocking it away to prevent the Nuggets’ fast break.

that is not what I saw. Watch the clip. First of all, it happened within like 5 seconds. He’s not intentionally hogging the ball. He is looking at Okogie and looks shocked when Jokic is trying to rip the ball out. His protecting the ball was a split second reaction. Secondly, where is his left arm? It’s wrapped around a fan okogie dove into trying to help him get up. He’s not thinking to himself how to disrupt the play. It’s obvious the only thing he’s paying attention to in the moment is making sure the fan and player are ok.

It’s a dead ball. Refs have to touch the ball before Jokic can do anything. Think the refs are going to allow a quick 5-4 while a player is being helped up, maybe injured? Jokic was in the wrong for going over there but there was nothing malicious. Suns owner did nothing wrong reacting to a ball that fell into his lap and holding the ball while trying to help a player and fan up. Suns owner flopped but he lightly touched Jokic too. Right call for a technical with no ejection, no need for suspension, suns owner has nothing to apologize for, Jokic and Malone need to acknowledge Jokic was wrong and can’t just barge into the crowd like that.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Comparing this to what Davante Adams did in two-handed shoving a cameraman unprovoked after a game in front of him might be the most laughable and bad faith thing you've posted in this thread.


Jokic also didn't knock the ball out of his hands. Jokic tried to grab the ball from him, he wouldn't release it, and then knocked it away so Jokic couldn't get out on the fast break while the Suns player was down. The owner inserted himself into live game action to try to benefit his team, which he successfully did because he prevented the fast break and the refs bought his ridiculous flop.

He went into the stands and shoved a spectator. I have no dog in this fight but that is what he did. Ask yourself if that was Draymond Green would you have a different reaction? I assume you would.

The video is clear, a Suns player went flying into the seats and knocked over the guy sitting next to Ishbia and the ball ended up in his lap. He stood up holding the ball while looking over to the spillage next to him, wasn't even paying attention to Jokic. Jokic tries to grab the ball, a little tug of war happens and it goes up into the stand. Some words were exchanged by Jokic who basically says get the **** out of here, shoves Ishbia with an elbow. Another fan pushes Jokic and I believe Isiah Thomas grabs his jersey. BTW that is not Jokic job to get the ball, it is the refs and the ref has to start the play.

Here is the rule.

Jokic should’ve been ejected and possibly suspended for Game 5. Rules are rules and they were ignored. pic.twitter.com/Lu4KEf1Yll

— BismackMuse (@BizzyMuse) May 8, 2023

Here is a good closeup

Jokic shouldn’t have went over there to begin with pic.twitter.com/GTHf3IjkVK

— J.Bonèt (@JBonet91) May 8, 2023

[chiefzilla1501]

Here’s an example of how it should have went down. Fans and officials make sure lebron and any fans are ok. They help lebron up. Ref holds the ball until everyone is confirmed ok. Imagine if in the heat of that moment a fan was holding on to the ball and someone from the pelicans snatched the ball from the fan as they were helping lebron up. And the ref sure as hell isn’t letting that play continue as 5-4 while lebron is shaken up. I don’t necessarily fault Jokic for trying to exploit a down player. But he simply can’t do that.

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Here’s an example of how it should have went down. Fans and officials make sure lebron and any fans are ok. They help lebron up. Ref holds the ball until everyone is confirmed ok. Imagine if in the heat of that moment a fan was holding on to the ball and someone from the pelicans snatched the ball from the fan as they were helping lebron up. And the ref sure as hell isn’t letting that play continue as 5-4 while lebron is shaken up. I don’t necessarily fault Jokic for trying to exploit a down player. But he simply can’t do that.

yep. I have watched alot of NBA games, so when a player goes flying into the stands play is usually stopped and the ref has to handle the ball. The only exception to that is when it is under the basket and a player runs into the cameraman, play seems like it always continues.

[TwistedChief]

I don't even think the Suns owner clearly flopped. It's not like this was some premeditated plan. He got up and got shoved by a guy who was much larger than he was and who had leverage. Much more likely he was just off-balance and caught offguard by being shoved - hence the reaction - than he was actively trying to draw a technical for his team.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

It is the refs that let him commit countless offensive fouls with no calls. Sorry, but when you dribble through the defender, push off, and elbow your way to the basket over and over with no call, the only conclusion is the officials are allowing you to commit offensive fouls.

Rule 12B, Section II, page 45 of the NBA rule book states:

a. A dribbler shall not (1) charge into an opponent who has established a legal guarding position, or (2) attempt to dribble between two opponents, or (3) attempt to dribble between an opponent and a boundary, where sufficient space is not available for illegal contact to be avoided.

b. If a defender is able to establish a legal position in the straight line path of the dribbler, the dribbler must avoid contact by changing direction or ending his dribble.

c. The dribbler must be in control of his body at all times. If illegal contact occurs, the responsibility is on the dribbler.

Jokic routinely throws his ass, shoulder, or elbow into defenders who have established legal position, or just flat out pushes the defender away with his off arm, forcing his way to the basket.

IDGAF what you think. The NBA literally has a section in the rulebook that outlines what Jokic does as an offensive foul.

I am not saying he isn't extremely talented, or that he isn't an extremely skilled player. I am saying he violates the rules, AS THEY ARE WRITTEN BY THE NBA AND NOT BY KC_Connection, and he very rarely gets called for it.

You want an offensive foul called on Jokic for posting up and backing down players?

You wouldn't have liked basketball much a few decades ago.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

that is not what I saw. Watch the clip. First of all, it happened within like 5 seconds. He’s not intentionally hogging the ball. He is looking at Okogie and looks shocked when Jokic is trying to rip the ball out. His protecting the ball was a split second reaction. Secondly, where is his left arm? It’s wrapped around a fan okogie dove into trying to help him get up. He’s not thinking to himself how to disrupt the play. It’s obvious the only thing he’s paying attention to in the moment is making sure the fan and player are ok.

It’s a dead ball. Refs have to touch the ball before Jokic can do anything. Think the refs are going to allow a quick 5-4 while a player is being helped up, maybe injured? Jokic was in the wrong for going over there but there was nothing malicious. Suns owner did nothing wrong reacting to a ball that fell into his lap and holding the ball while trying to help a player and fan up. Suns owner flopped but he lightly touched Jokic too. Right call for a technical with no ejection, no need for suspension, suns owner has nothing to apologize for, Jokic and Malone need to acknowledge Jokic was wrong and can’t just barge into the crowd like that.

Absolute nonsense. The owner is a former walk-on basketball player at MSU. He knows the game and has been around the game for most of his life. There's not a doubt in my mind that he recognized immediately what Jokic was trying to do in taking the ball (getting out on the fast break while his player was down). He refused to release the ball because of it and then literally knocked it away from him so he couldn't take it down the court (and yes, the refs have to touch it but Jokic would have tossed it quickly to the refs who would have put the ball back into play unless they deemed the Suns player to be injured). The owner is lucky he is who he is, though, because a regular person is getting kicked for doing it.

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith questioned Nikola Jokić receiving a technical and Mat Ishbia not being ejected. "If another fan wouldn't have let the ball go, he would have got tossed," Barkley said. pic.twitter.com/C9mMFOhxVM

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 8, 2023

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by dirk digler

He went into the stands and shoved a spectator. I have no dog in this fight but that is what he did. Ask yourself if that was Draymond Green would you have a different reaction? I assume you would.

Not a chance. My issues with Draymond are with dirty plays on court (i.e. kicking players in the balls repeatedly and stomping on their chests), not with trying to make a quick high IQ decision to get out on a fast break only to be prevented from doing so by an owner who wanted to get involved in the action.

Jokic tries to grab the ball, a little tug of war happens and it goes up into the stand.

It went up into the stands because the owner refused to release the ball to an actual player on the court and then knocked it away further into the crowd so Jokic couldn't get it. This is obvious from watching the replay.

Some words were exchanged by Jokic who basically says get the **** out of here, shoves Ishbia with an elbow. Another fan pushes Jokic and I believe Isiah Thomas grabs his jersey. BTW that is not Jokic job to get the ball, it is the refs and the ref has to start the play.

After knocking the ball away from Jokic, the owner then proceeded to step to Jokic (instead of sitting down as most people would have done), putting his hands on his back, and then Jokic moves him out of the way with his arm before he flops and exaggerates the contact (no doubt to draw a technical foul or ejection on the best player in the series, which he accomplished).

Also, it is Jokic's job to get the ball if they want to get out on the fast break while they have a numbers advantage. If he left it to the ref to get it, the Suns player would have gotten up and gotten back into the play. There is nothing about the play that is unusual (many players do this when they sense a fast break opportunity or numbers advantage) other than the fact that the owner refused to release the ball and got involved in the action.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by TwistedChief

I don't even think the Suns owner clearly flopped. It's not like this was some premeditated plan. He got up and got shoved by a guy who was much larger than he was and who had leverage. Much more likely he was just off-balance and caught offguard by being shoved - hence the reaction - than he was actively trying to draw a technical for his team.

That was the kind of flop I'd have expected from a Duke walk-on, not a MSU walk-on. Izzo is a better teacher of the trade than I thought.

[KC_Connection]

Great win for the Suns last night in an amazing series so far!
That should be and is the only story. Suspending or fining anyone over last nights incident would not be right. I have alot of respect for Jokic and don’t want to see anything like that. Excited for game 5! Go Suns!

— Mat Ishbia (@Mishbia15) May 8, 2023

Tweeted like somebody who knows he's most at risk of facing discipline over this incident from the league. I'm sure he doesn't want to give up his courtside seat for the rest of the playoffs.

[KC_Connection]

Investigation from 3 different angles:
1. Ishbia saw Jokic before he tried to take a ball so he didn't let him take it
2. When Ishbia lost possesion of the ball he threw the ball to the stands
3. Ishbia and guy in the blue put their hands on Jokic before elbow contact and flop pic.twitter.com/FPl7sRfydV

— THE JOKER(S) ������ (@SerbsInSports) May 8, 2023

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Investigation from 3 different angles:
1. Ishbia saw Jokic before he tried to take a ball so he didn't let him take it
2. When Ishbia lost possesion of the ball he threw the ball to the stands
3. Ishbia and guy in the blue put their hands on Jokic before elbow contact and flop pic.twitter.com/FPl7sRfydV

— THE JOKER(S) ������ (@SerbsInSports) May 8, 2023

That’s selective editing of the clip. If you watch everything leading up to it he isn’t paying any attention to Jokic. He is paying 90% of his attention to okogie and he even has his left arm hooked around the fan okogie ran into to help him up. His reaction seemed way more surprised than it seemed intentional. It looked like he was holding the ball focused on helping the fan and okogie get up, and was surprised when Jokic tugged at the ball.

Would you agree that in the lebron example I posted it would have been weird for a pelicans player to sprint into the crowd, take the ball from a fan, and push a 5-4?

[dirk digler]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

Not a chance. My issues with Draymond are with dirty plays on court (i.e. kicking players in the balls repeatedly and stomping on their chests), not with trying to make a quick high IQ decision to get out on a fast break only to be prevented from doing so by an owner who wanted to get involved in the action.


It went up into the stands because the owner refused to release the ball to an actual player on the court and then knocked it away further into the crowd so Jokic couldn't get it. This is obvious from watching the replay.


After knocking the ball away from Jokic, the owner then proceeded to step to Jokic (instead of sitting down as most people would have done), putting his hands on his back, and then Jokic moves him out of the way with his arm before he flops and exaggerates the contact (no doubt to draw a technical foul or ejection on the best player in the series, which he accomplished).

Also, it is Jokic's job to get the ball if they want to get out on the fast break while they have a numbers advantage. If he left it to the ref to get it, the Suns player would have gotten up and gotten back into the play. There is nothing about the play that is unusual (many players do this when they sense a fast break opportunity or numbers advantage) other than the fact that the owner refused to release the ball and got involved in the action.

I am pretty sure since it wasn't a made basket the ref has to have the ball first then give it back. I will pay attention more tonight when it happens.

[Gary Cooper]

Have Jordan or Lebron ever scored 50+ in a playoff game and shoved the opposing team's owner?

I don't think so.