Afraid I wouldn't say, they are not a paper tiger, but yeah, they are to be reckoned with, a brutal enemy. FWIW, if the refs intervene, then it's just a friggin WWE show again, not interested, will turn it off.
We have a good storyline too. Harden and Westbrook- reunited and trying to finish what they started early in their careers. Not as good as Kobe and Lakers hype though.
Apart from the West, I think the East, especially the Raptors and the Bucks have a chance. I mean yeah, Kawhi did contribute, but how many clutch buckets were made by VanVleet, Siakam, Lowry and the rest? Now that Lebron is out of the way, at least the Finals are an option. Never underestimate the Sixers, they can always surprise too.
The regular season absolutely matters. If the Rockets are 4th seed are lower, I really don't see them having any chance of winning a title. Even 3rd is a stretch.
I'm on record that I think the Bucks are going to win. Naturally, I am not hoping for that -- but I'm being realistic. They're stacked.
My initial thought was if Westbrook took a couple we would have ended up 0-29. But I see your point, haha.
I think we could def pull the 2nd seed - but idk if thats our goal... I think Ime wants to tinker with line-ups and try diff things so we have some contingency plans... which honestly, is what i would do... as opposed to say, going all-in on small ball and not even keeping a center on the roster... or having to keep heaving 3s until u go 0-27... or losing 1 guy to a hamstring injury and the whole plan falls apart... lol
