[NBA] Comments that don't warrant a thread (MAR)
- Thread starter Kings_of_California
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You know, as I listen to the talking heads say that Harden is the front-runner to win his second consecutive MVP award, it makes me realize that something really weird has happened in the last couple of years, whereby "counting stats" have begun to factor into the voting in a way that they hadn't previously. For, like, fifty years, there has been a precedent that MVP was more or less awarded to the best player on the team with the best record: that was the justification for why David Robinson won it over Hakeem and Shaq in '95, it was the justification for why Nash won it over Shaq in '05, it was the justification for why Rose won it over LeBron in '11, and why Curry won it over LeBron in '15.
And, even when MVP was awarded to a player whose team didn't have the very best record, there was basically no precedent for MVP being awarded to a player whose team didn't finish with one of the four best records... until two years ago. Russell Westbrook got so much attention for his triple-double season that he was named MVP on a team that was only the tenth-best team in the league, by record. That created a precedent which it looks like is going to result in Giannis Antetokuonmpo, the best player on the team with the best record being snubbed for a guy whose team is currently the seventh-best team in the league, by record.
I feel like I don't have enough data to decide whether I think this is a good thing or not, but I can't help but wonder: is this sort of new paradigm an "unintended consequence" of the Analytics Era, or was this a desired outcome?
And, even when MVP was awarded to a player whose team didn't have the very best record, there was basically no precedent for MVP being awarded to a player whose team didn't finish with one of the four best records... until two years ago. Russell Westbrook got so much attention for his triple-double season that he was named MVP on a team that was only the tenth-best team in the league, by record. That created a precedent which it looks like is going to result in Giannis Antetokuonmpo, the best player on the team with the best record being snubbed for a guy whose team is currently the seventh-best team in the league, by record.
I feel like I don't have enough data to decide whether I think this is a good thing or not, but I can't help but wonder: is this sort of new paradigm an "unintended consequence" of the Analytics Era, or was this a desired outcome?
Trae Young just became the first Hawks rookie to notch a triple double. John Collins is also beasting.
Now that they mention it, why isn't Nate McMillan getting more love in the COY discussion?
Also, respect to Jalen Rose, for the Skylar Diggins shout out.
Also, respect to Jalen Rose, for the Skylar Diggins shout out.
And the third quarter, of course, demonstrated the flip side of a team like Indiana: when everybody's hitting, they're virtually unstoppable, because you can't figure where the scoring is going to come from. But, when they go cold, they can utterly collapse, because now they don't know where the scoring is going to come from.
Philly shot 6-for-22 in the quarter, and outscored them by twelve, just because they have go-to guys, and Indiana doesn't.
Philly shot 6-for-22 in the quarter, and outscored them by twelve, just because they have go-to guys, and Indiana doesn't.
Ozymandias
All-Star
Unreal.. He looks like spiderman on this dunk
That was...not a dunk. That was a very unconventional angle for a shot, though! Wow.
God damn, John Collins! Where was that during the dunk contest? 
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
I don't see that as a dunk, just like when Blake threw the ball in over Kendrick Perkins or when Dwight threw the ball in when he participated in the Dunk Contest. Crazy acrobatic though.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
The Suns inability to properly use Ayton has been baffling. If you aren't even going to give the guy the ball, why even draft him?
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
I suppose they prefer having Booker just chuck shots and play point, tonight he had a good game with the assists but he usually doesn't have games like this.
kingsboi
Hall of Famer
I can't say for certain if the Dubs are just coasting right now waiting until the Playoffs or if they, for the first time in a few years they look like a team that can be beaten by a team like Houston if they should match up. Durant has one foot out the door anyway, he's won his two ships.
fansinceday1
Starter
Suns deserve major props for actually playing lockdown defense on the warriors there at the end.
Suns have beat some quality teams with the exception of last night against Portland. Yes, beating the warriors was on a back to back. Just impressive.
Suns have beat some quality teams with the exception of last night against Portland. Yes, beating the warriors was on a back to back. Just impressive.
Kings_of_California
Starter
Durant injured his ankle later in the game for whatever that's worth, but I'm happy I recorded this.
Always nice to watch a good ol' Warriors loss, to a bad team no less.
Always nice to watch a good ol' Warriors loss, to a bad team no less.
Tetsujin
The Game Thread Dude
To be fair to Russ, it would appear the dude in question is a bit of a racist who had it coming.
chief bromden
Starter
If they play the offseason right, they are primed for a jump next season similar to the Kings jump this year.
What @Tetsujin said: what you call "attacking fans," I call standing up for himself against a racist.
Iced Espresso
Starter
New York State senator Brad Hoylman took exception to New York Knicks owner James Dolan kicking a fan out of Madison Square Garden, tweeting that the famous arena should perhaps lose its tax breaks over the ordeal:
Madison Square Garden gets over $40M/year in property tax breaks. If James Dolan wants to treat it as his private stadium & ban fans for merely suggesting he sell a team, then perhaps Albany should take his lead—and redirect those public dollars to Penn Station’s MTA facilities.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-tax-breaks-after-james-dolan-bans-knicks-fan
Madison Square Garden gets over $40M/year in property tax breaks. If James Dolan wants to treat it as his private stadium & ban fans for merely suggesting he sell a team, then perhaps Albany should take his lead—and redirect those public dollars to Penn Station’s MTA facilities.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-tax-breaks-after-james-dolan-bans-knicks-fan
What was said wasn’t race based but either way why is it that Russ is getting into it with fans. It’s always Russ
I didn't say that it was race-based. I said that Westbrook stood up for himself against a racist. I guess, you want to be more precise, I should have said that he stood up to himself against homophobic innuendo, directed towards him by a racist.
And, from my perspective, I don't really care if it's "always Russ," because it's also always the fans. Let's not sit here and act like Westbrook's response was unprovoked; if you want to argue that it was disproportional, go right ahead, but I'm opting out of that conversation. I'm generally pro-player over fans, anyway: I'm not here on that, "You buy a ticket, you get to say whatever you want" ****. That's a level of entitlement that is the antithesis of what I'm about. My ethos is more like, don't talk greasy to people from a distance, if you wouldn't talk greasy to them to their face. If you ran across some random, muscle-bound, 6'3", 200-pound man in the grocery store, who wasn't a professional athlete making millions of dollars, and there wasn't a wall of security between you and him, would you say something like that to him? And, if the answer is no, then don't say that **** in the stands at a basketball game.
63royals
Bench
You need to stop listening to the hot takes and look at the reality of this situation. Doesn't matter to me if it's racist or homophobic, the guy in the stands was directing vile abuse toward a player. The kind the players hear every night. And Russ responds to it and immediately people are OFFENDED by his behavior. That's that racist's game -- it's never their fault. See, if you want us to take seriously comments like the one I'm quoting here, first you have to convince us that that troll in the stands wasn't doing anything wrong. And here's a hint -- you're not going to prove anything to us with more hot takes.
That's gonna be on #Shaqtin...
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