Arena The NBA Thread

Hoping for a close game, not-afraid-of-the-moment type of effort from the Lakers tonight against Golden State, in particular from D'Angelo Russell.

 

tom I'm in agreement with what you're saying but "and wanted to try something else" is kinda of underselling it lol

 

Yeah he couldn't stand Westbrook and grew tired of his BS. Westbrook wanted to be "the guy". Okay, wish granted. Enjoy.

 

i dislike kobe, but that's because of my anti-laker bias and the possibility that he is maybe a rapist. as basketball players the thing he and westbrook share is that they would absolutely kill you to win a basketball game. i don't think that's being a "glory whore", but if it is then michael jordan is definitely one too.

 

Michael Jordan is the worst. Doing everything he can to win, man, what a tool!

 

No I agree. Kobe, Jordan, and Westbrook all have that killer instinct and super competitiveness that makes them superstars, but also privately and sometimes publicly, not very nice people.

 

If you know me, you know I hate arrogance, but I've never really noticed it in Westbrook or KD to any significant extent. Westbrook is just insanely driven and competitive. He's just an animal on the court. KD can actually be pretty laid back.

There is such a thing as the humble athlete, though. It's a real thing.

Chad Johnson said you have to be arrogant and full of yourself to be great (I can't remember exactly what he said, but basically he said you have to be like him), but there are too many examples that say otherwise.

Plus, there's a difference between thinking something arrogant, and saying something arrogant.

 

That's...not quite what I was getting at haha.

And to clarify Westbrook is by and far my favorite non-Cav basketball player. Like I've looked into getting his jersey before.

There's just limits to how often a grown (also exceptionally pastey) man can wear a bball jersey.

 

Anytime the Warriors lose is a good time!

I am not about to defend Russell Westbrook. Sometimes he drives me crazy, but he's fun to watch and he is not afraid to be different. He wears what he wants and he dances. I wish I wasn't so self conscious and enjoyed my life half as much.

Draymond Green is the worst, mostly cause he kicked Adams 2x and got away with it.

The Knicks are up by 14!!! But it's super early in the game

 

I know it's the 2nd night of a back-to-back, but I didn't expect Golden State to start this flat; conversely, Lakers look sharp thus far... sharing the ball well to boot. Love that they're wearing Showtime-era (they'll do it twice more this season, which is nice, but it ought to be more!) uni's... such a fantastic aesthetic.

 

Hell of a nice win for the Lakers; particularly impressed by them holding their lead(s) when the Warriors went on runs in the 2nd quarter/2nd half.

 

What a crazy night last night. Knicks dominate Chicago after looking awful for two games and GS loses. Hopefully OKC bounces back tonight. (They should.)

And my league pass knows me well I open it to check scores this AM and it starts to replay the Knicks game for me.

 

the young Lakers look like who we hoped they were!

 

Hey Mace Windu is GOAT, Jordan would never have let this happen EXPLAIN

 

Milwaukee looked like bantha dodo tonight.

 

Progress is happening!

 

I have to give it up on how well the Lakers played against the Warriors. The were definitely more active at all factors of the game.

Lakers broker Curry's consecutive games of at least one 3 point shot made which started in 2014.

The Dubs will be looking for payback next time these two team match up.

 

warriors having more growing pains than i expected, but i'm not going to worry unless they're still playing like this in february. felt that a big part of the lakers loss was just not having the legs for back to backs this early in the year. felt it was a big factor for the thunder in getting blown out by the warriors the night before as well. or the spurs loss saturday, people are in shape and ready to go but still have to play into mid-season shape.

 

Or maybe the Lakers are better than people realized. I mean, think about it: young pieces in Randle (highly skilled 3-4 combo forward who can play in and out), Russell (offensive-minded hybrid guard who is a bit like Harden), and Ingram (very poor man's KD); proven veterans in Deng (two-time All-Star who stretches the floor and can guard 3 to 4 positions), Lou Williams (perfect bench scorer/distributor who makes offense click), and Mosgov (decent rim protector with a fair outside touch and knack for rebounding). Put that group into a blender with the best young coach of all time (maybe?) in Luke Walton and that's a half-bad team that can compete for maybe the 10-12 seed.

 

Did people think the Lakers were so bad they couldn't even compete for maybe the 10-12 seed?

 

Well, the Lakers were in Kobe limbo last year. Meaning, the really couldn't truly rebuild or assess the talent they had while Kobe was on the roster. Now that the Kobe era is truly over, the Lakers can move forward with their young roster and put in a system.

Watching the Lakers against the Warriors, you can tell Walton's influence on the style of play. The Lakers were moving the ball around, making cuts to the basket and finding the open man. The Lakers were playing team basketball.

Speaking of the Lakers/Warriors game where Curry went 0-10 behind the 3 point line, it was good to see him bounce back with a NBA record 13 made 3-point baskets. The Warriors are still having problems with opponents larger line ups, turnovers and defensive rotations. Durant and Pachulia allowed alot of back door baskets and offensive rebounds.

 

Before last night, last game the Cavs lost was Game 4 in June WHICH I WAS AT. It almost made me cry today (amidst other...things)