2018-19 NBA Thread

[bayareabadger]

So there’s something interesting about the anti-NBA sentiment. We all like a sport that for the most part is terrifically static. Only 12 of 60 or 130 teams has a chance at a title. The good teams are the good teams even with roster turnover. 

But there’s a sort of fatalism here. 

When talking about transfers, ELA pointed out, no one imagines someone might get hurt. Players and fans have settled into this spot where we assume someone establishes early and they’re just set. We’re not into the journey, or the ups and downs, we’re just obsessed with a team’s ability to be there right at the end. Like the Cletics should be fun and interesting, but we say they won’t beat the Warriors, so why bother?

I think the way of consuming the NBA has in some ways shifted, at least to me. If you like the NBA you like the broader picture and seek out what might be interesting. What was lost was the thing where you saw a team that was ok to good and projected potential greatness. It seems like the world is smaller (it’s mostly been a league with little parity, but now we seem hyper aware of it. Like if in the 90s we were just more skeptical of the Knick and Western Conference)

Chances are, the Warriors break up after this year. KD might leave. Green and Klay will get deals. They’ll fall back, and if it’s just about them, the three-year blip will end. But my gut is, that fatalism will remain, and just move to another team.

[ELA]

The other issue is the predictability of the playoffs.  We can live with the Patriots, or the Dodgers, or the Penguins, because being the best in the other leagues guarantees far less postseason success than in the NBA.

[ELA]

Went to bed and missed a choke of epic proportions

[Kris60]

Went to bed and missed a choke of epic proportions

That is as surprising an outcome as you can hope for in the NBA.

[ELA]

Some interesting, if unrealistic options here

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26633540/the-nba-obsessed-3s-let-fix-thing

[rook119]

4 min left in Q2 game 6 GSW-HOU. 

Curry has 0 points, GSW leading by 8

[Brutus Buckeye]

League Pass has a cheaper option this year where you only get like the last two minutes of games or something.
I think NBA should drop to more like 64 games, and NHL should drop to like 48.

It would be awfully tough to break a single season record if you are playing about 20 fewer games. Unless of course it was the record for fewest turnovers, or some such. 

[bayareabadger]

In basketball, most records are by per game anyway, so that might matter less. Plus the tempo factor has warped a lot of those records. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

Career records would also be problematic, as a ten year career would result in about 200 fewer regular season games.