AROUND the NBA:

[Scott41theMavs]

Flagg is going to sign his first max extension just like every max guy before him.  This organization has Flagg and Masai.  It doesn't really seem like a time to be complaining considering where this thing was a little over a year ago.

Thanks for bringing a little sanity back.

[HIMAV]

Flagg is going to sign his first max extension just like every max guy before him.  This organization has Flagg and Masai.  It doesn't really seem like a time to be complaining considering where this thing was a little over a year ago.

Great points mvossman. So many things happen so quickly in the NBA it's hard to count out Flagg and Masai just yet. Yes Wemby and the Spurs might be a dynasty, but they also may not be due to various reason (injuries, player decline, teams figure out GOOD anti-wemby gameplans, hurt egos, cap casualties, etc...) Modern history backs that up with us getting the 8th different champion in 8 years. I'm sure there are some people who claimed in those 8 years that Lebron and LA, Giannis and MIL, Joker and DEN, Tatum and BOS, SGA and OKC, would go on to win at least 2 in that span (admittedly the door is still open for some of those teams still...). SA might not even win this year....

[GATA]

What a disaster for us.  Almost no point to have Flagg.  We’re not beating Spurs of Okc.  Harper honestly looks better than Flagg too. Plus he’s got all this experience now.

This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.   Harper is not in the same stratosphere as Flagg

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brian Berger on Blazers owner Tom Dundon: "He's been a bull in a china shop so far. He's come in and just cut costs. He didn't allow t-shirts. I look at teams like the Knicks and the Spurs, and you see all the former players sitting courtside and how the teams have embraced the former players. He got rid of a lot of the people who had connections to the former players last week when they laid off 70 people. He's cutting hotel costs. He's running this kind of like he runs the Carolina Hurricanes, his NHL team. You can't run an NHL team like you run an NBA team. I think there are still changes to come. Obviously, we're probably going to have a different coach than Tiago Splitter. He's already talked about paying that coach as one of the lowest-paid coaches in the NBA. You might have a new GM, and you might have a team president."


Brian Berger on Blazers owner Tom Dundon: "I think he's going to do everything in his power to move them. It breaks my heart to say that because I used to work for the Trail Blazers. I live in Portland. But this seems to be Sonics 2.0. I think he's going to say all the right things and at the end of the day, he's going to come with a pretty cutthroat deal for the state and the city. And when they don't make that deal, I think he's going to use that as his excuse to move the team. The way it works with at least NBA Board of Governors is when you sit around that table, other owners are not going to stop you from doing what you want to do like relocating, because if they want to do something in the future, they don't want you to vote against them."

[HoosierDaddyKid]

According to a Ticketmaster listing, the lowest available resale tickets were listed at approximately $1,245 per seat as of Sunday. The cheapest options were located in the arena's upper-level seating sections, while premium seats were listed for more than $4,300 each before taxes.


Fans hoping to attend Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will need deep pockets, with resale ticket prices topping $1,200.

[dirkfansince1998]

Legendary Coach Rick Adelman has passed away at the age of 79, per
@NBA_Coaches
Rest in peace.

https://x.com/TheHoopCentral/status/2061584451143086561

Maybe the most accomplished coach to never win it all. Eight years with the Kings. Made the playoffs every single time. Including the legendary/controversial WCF against the Lakers in 2002. Wasn't resigned in 2006 after he clashed with the owners. 
And the rest is history. Kings turned into the laughing stock of the NBA. Only one playoff appearance in the last 20 years. Only two seasons with a winning record. 22/23 (lost in the first round) and 23/24 (9th seed) under Mike Brown. Fired Brown less than halfway through the 24/25 season. One year later...Brown is in the NBA finals with the Knicks. Kings won 22 games.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Spotrac:The #Spurs are eligible to sign Victor Wembanyama to a maximum rookie extension this summer that projects to start at 5-years, $251M with "super-max" language that can increase the deal to as much as $301M. (figures based on a 173.25M salary cap for 2027-28)

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Tim Bontemps: The past six years, home teams are 9-12 in Game 7s in the NBA. That’s a 42.8% win rate. Prior to 2020, home teams were 106-29 in Game 7s in the NBA. That’s a 78.5% win rate.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

New York Knicks fans have infiltrated opposing arenas throughout their team’s storybook playoff run. With ticket prices at Madison Square Garden out of reach for many Knicks lifers, several have hit the road to get their postseason fix. Perhaps that will happen again in the NBA Finals, especially now that, according to Gametime data from Monday morning, the get-in cost for Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio is dropping while seats in MSG are growing increasingly expensive.

[Winter]

Totally forgot about Harrison Barnes still being with San Antonio. Cool to see that at least one of Brunson / Barnes gets to win it all this year. Both gread dudes who deserve it.

Harrison Barnes could bookend a long career with championships. His first was in 2015.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

NBA Base: Brian Windhorst says people around the league are surprised by how much the Spurs are favored against the Knicks: "You know the more and more people I've talked to around the league Greeny, scouts and other coaches, they're really surprised that the Spurs are favored by as much as they are. They get with Wembanyama and how tough the West playoffs were, but they really believe that the Knicks have some advantages in the series and that this thing could absolutely go New York's way."

[HoosierDaddyKid]

NBA Base: Teams coming off a sweep against teams coming off a 7-game series are 20-4 in NBA history ?

[meistermatze]

NBA Base: Brian Windhorst says people around the league are surprised by how much the Spurs are favored against the Knicks: "You know the more and more people I've talked to around the league Greeny, scouts and other coaches, they're really surprised that the Spurs are favored by as much as they are. They get with Wembanyama and how tough the West playoffs were, but they really believe that the Knicks have some advantages in the series and that this thing could absolutely go New York's way."

I’m surprised that anybody gives the Knicks a realistic shot.

Fatigue is the only real argument in favor of the Knicks, and even that could be cancelled out by rust on their part. One of those factors may turn out to matter, but in a vacuum, even this could go either way.

From a pure basketball standpoint, I just don’t see it.

Experience? The Knicks are older, but nobody on either side has played on this stage before. And experience did not seem to matter much when the Spurs beat the Thunder.

Weaknesses? The Spurs have very few. KAT pulling Wemby out of the paint? Wemby can guard him one-on-one, and I don’t see the Spurs’ paint defense completely collapsing because Wemby is so mobile. Also, if that matchup is a problem for San Antonio, it goes both ways. KAT having to defend Wemby would give me nightmares as a Knicks fan. I would much rather be the Spurs in that matchup.

Same with Brunson. He will get attacked relentlessly by Fox, Harper, and Castle.

Yes, the Knicks are on a historic run, and their plus-minus has been amazing — but against whom? They went through a 9–11 stretch at one point during the season, and the personnel has not changed. I don’t buy them suddenly becoming the best team in the league for one second.

This team still relies heavily on KAT, one of the biggest chokers around. Wemby is going to manhandle him, inside and outside.

Injuries can obviously change any series. But barring that: Spurs in 5. If the Knicks get hot more than once, maybe Spurs in 6.

[cow]

I’m surprised that anybody gives the Knicks a realistic shot.

Fatigue is the only real argument in favor of the Knicks, and even that could be cancelled out by rust on their part. One of those factors may turn out to matter, but in a vacuum, even this could go either way.

From a pure basketball standpoint, I just don’t see it.

Experience? The Knicks are older, but nobody on either side has played on this stage before. And experience did not seem to matter much when the Spurs beat the Thunder.

Weaknesses? The Spurs have very few. KAT pulling Wemby out of the paint? Wemby can guard him one-on-one, and I don’t see the Spurs’ paint defense completely collapsing because Wemby is so mobile. Also, if that matchup is a problem for San Antonio, it goes both ways. KAT having to defend Wemby would give me nightmares as a Knicks fan. I would much rather be the Spurs in that matchup.

Same with Brunson. He will get attacked relentlessly by Fox, Harper, and Castle.

Yes, the Knicks are on a historic run, and their plus-minus has been amazing — but against whom? They went through a 9–11 stretch at one point during the season, and the personnel has not changed. I don’t buy them suddenly becoming the best team in the league for one second.

This team still relies heavily on KAT, one of the biggest chokers around. Wemby is going to manhandle him, inside and outside.

Injuries can obviously change any series. But barring that: Spurs in 5. If the Knicks get hot more than once, maybe Spurs in 6.

Considering the defenders that the Spurs can swarm JB with, if he manages to win the Knicks a chip even I, his biggest hater,  will have to give him his flowers.  I'd still bet on the Spurs, but I do think their youth could come into play as their offense tends to sputter at times.

[Chicagojk]

I’m surprised that anybody gives the Knicks a realistic shot.

Fatigue is the only real argument in favor of the Knicks, and even that could be cancelled out by rust on their part. One of those factors may turn out to matter, but in a vacuum, even this could go either way.

From a pure basketball standpoint, I just don’t see it.

Experience? The Knicks are older, but nobody on either side has played on this stage before. And experience did not seem to matter much when the Spurs beat the Thunder.

Weaknesses? The Spurs have very few. KAT pulling Wemby out of the paint? Wemby can guard him one-on-one, and I don’t see the Spurs’ paint defense completely collapsing because Wemby is so mobile. Also, if that matchup is a problem for San Antonio, it goes both ways. KAT having to defend Wemby would give me nightmares as a Knicks fan. I would much rather be the Spurs in that matchup.

Same with Brunson. He will get attacked relentlessly by Fox, Harper, and Castle.

Yes, the Knicks are on a historic run, and their plus-minus has been amazing — but against whom? They went through a 9–11 stretch at one point during the season, and the personnel has not changed. I don’t buy them suddenly becoming the best team in the league for one second.

This team still relies heavily on KAT, one of the biggest chokers around. Wemby is going to manhandle him, inside and outside.

Injuries can obviously change any series. But barring that: Spurs in 5. If the Knicks get hot more than once, maybe Spurs in 6.

It will be an interesting matchup.   I don't think they will put KAT or Robinson on Wemby much.  I really think OG will be the main matchup.   OKC really didn't have someone like him.   I think OG could be the best matchup against Wemby.    You will give up height inside, but everyone does.   OG has the length to maybe get in his body.   Wemby will still be the best player in the series, but I think OG has a chance to disrupt him some.

On offense (when Robinson is out) they will really try to spread SA out.    Like Caruso last series, it will probably really help if Hart can be hot from three.    I am sure they would like Wemby to roam off him.

[Chicagojk]

Not a bad gig if you can get it for a late 30s player. 10 years 400 million.

Serious question are these Chinese shoes that some endorse in regular stores?

https://x.com/shamscharania/status/20618...51733?s=61

[cow]

Not a bad gig if you can get it for a late 30s player.  10 years 400 million.

Serious question are these Chinese shoes that some endorse in regular stores?

https://x.com/shamscharania/status/20618...51733?s=61

Pretty sure that brand was banned in the US for labor practice violations.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Not a bad gig if you can get it for a late 30s player.  10 years 400 million.

Serious question are these Chinese shoes that some endorse in regular stores?

https://x.com/shamscharania/status/20618...51733?s=61

That's insane. He'll still get paid at 48 yrs old, long after he hangs 'em up.

[Hooper21]

Not a bad gig if you can get it for a late 30s player.  10 years 400 million.

Serious question are these Chinese shoes that some endorse in regular stores?

https://x.com/shamscharania/status/20618...51733?s=61

Better known as Way of Wade, which makes me dislike them.  DeAngelo Russell has a signature shoe within WOW, so I question them even more.  

That said, my son had a pair last season and really liked them.

[cow]

Harper doing work.