Same ninny team that has beaten the Grizzlies, cavs and Warriors in the last 4 games. Only loss was to the 76ers
Nets with KD just lost to a Heat team with no Lowry, Butler, Tucker. And Robinson went scoreless. Nets are so bad.
Are you seriously implying Minny is, uh.... Good or a challenge for two of the best players in the league? There are overachieving teams every year, does not mean Philly proved anything by beating them.
There not trash. They beat a red hot Grizzlies and Warriors. Are they elite no but they are pretty good.
Harden went from washed to Houston Harden in 2 weeks the way he can morph from being built like Orlando Magic Shawn Kemp to Seattle Shawn Kemp midseason is astonishing
I don't know jerry, you are putting a lot of faith on Harden very early on.... You've been burned before, maybe this time is different... Keep on believing
Can the haters just fast forward to whatever excuse/goalpost they are going to have after Harden and Embiid demolish the remainder of the regular season and first round or two of the playoffs? Cause let's be honest, we know full well it is going to happen if they're healthy. We also know that you will just be moving the excuse for their success to some other predictable sh*t like "it's only regular season, let's see what they do in the playoffs". So you know what? You're right. Can we watch them demolish the regular season in peace since you're ultimately clearly not changing your mind unless they flat out win a title. Even if they lose in a 7 game series in the Finals, you're going to say that's who he is. So please stop doing a song and dance as though you mean it when you say "let them beat some good teams, that will prove it". No one believes that. They have started off looking better than they should look. They should have looked like it was their first few games playing together. However, they already look like they've played 50 games together.
Yeah, I just can't buy that beating Minny is somewhat indicative of anything... Philly won't be playing them in the playoffs, Harden has played great against bad teams which is pretty normal for him. I'm not counting or hoping he plays poorly again this regular season, he will likely continue to play great. By far he is the best regular season player to ever live and its not even close, if he can carry some of that into the big games things could get interesting in the East but its Harden we are talking about... Not confident it will happen...... Actually pretty confident it wont...
I wouldn't overlook these teams at all. Philly IS a contender...but people need to remember that Embiid has injury issues and Doc Rivers has a long and storied track record of choking. Spo does not. That Heat team is loaded from top to bottom with just good solid players. I can already hear the "Doc was outcoached" comments if they do meet the Heat but to be fair to doc, Spo is the best coach in the NBA (or the best coach with the best team. Pop is still a great coach but doesn't have the talent to be relevant) so it should be expected that he'll outcoach Doc. The Bucks are champions and you never underestimate the heart of a champion no matter where they fall in at during seedings. Right now they are one of the clear teams that can get out of the East along with the Heat and Bucks...I don't think the Bulls are a legit threat to anyone really and wouldn't even be surprised if they lost the first round to the Celtics or Cavs or something...and then the complete wildcard that is the Nets this year. But I wouldn't be surprised if the 6ers lost to the Heat or Bucks. Those are legit contending teams. Heat have a lot of defensive bodies to throw at people, lots of players that have been there and back, same with Bucks, that can't be overlooked. Championship experience is a real thing that exists, Harden and the Rockets learned that the hard way when Durantless Warriors found a way to win a game they had no business winning and Harden learned that earlier in his career when like near 40 year old Manu just snapped and decided to carry his team to a win. I would not be surprised to get some insane Kyle Lowry game or something in a swing game that ends up turning the series...because I've learned you should never downplay that winning championship experience. But I'm not going to get into it too much, regular season don't matter for none of these teams, the Eastern playoffs is going to be a lot of fun though if everyone is healthy.
I have no problem with either Sixers, Bucks or the Heat going to the FInals IMO. The best defensive team got an advantage. At least Budenholzer got his title.
This. I think Tobias will be the x factor he will be great as a 3rd or 4th option with Harden, Maxey and Embid getting the most coverage. He is going to get a ton of uncontested looks and straight line drives.
WCS does not have great instincts or feel for the game, if we were talking purely physical traits I would give him the edge but with spot minutes and knowing where to be I think DJ is better.
The 76ers are bit thin outside of their starting line up, and Harris is just not playing like a good NBA player at the moment. Harden is doing incredibly well because he is not forcing anything. But in the playoffs when everything gets tough he will have to start forcing shots during scoring droughts, we will see how that goes. Good thing Embiid is quite reliable as a scorer. But if they start forcing the ball out of his hand, can Harden take over the scoring load when the opportunity is given?
