But you can't change the rules each year. Overall, the play-in is a huge plus. The one time ESPN talking heads were worth a dime is when they unanimously rebuked LeBron 2 years ago for whining about it when the Lakers finished 7th. It's just your opinion about whether a team deserves the opportunity. The odds are stacked against #8 and #9 so much there really isn't much to complain about.
I want the Warriors over Clippers any day of the week. Clippers have crazy shooters and at any point Kawhi or Harden can go off. Please Zubac is no slouch. Warriors have nothing to throw at Sengun and at some point we will take care of Draymond in a 7-game series, guaranteed. Just ice out Curry with Amen and if Butler, Kuminga and them beat you then you are not worthy to advance. If the refs call some bullshit, then at least we know. There’s no shame to lose to the Clippers, it would be to the Warriors honestly if they do not get the preferential treatment.
thanks for breaking this down. Looks like we’ll face GS, Clips, or the Grizz. I’m hoping for the Clips or the Grizz.
You can be sure that the Warriors are sending every incident of Curry being held in our victory over them. The refs are my only concern with GSW. Amen can’t shut down Curry from the bench. Clippers would be the much tougher matchup sans refs. Here’s to hoping Minnesota can beat the Lakers. They should have overwhelming advantage in the paint and if we get to play in the next round, playing Minnesota would be Mano on Mano instead of 5 vs 8.
If rockets were really concerned with any of this they wouldn't have rested their starters. We could have easily just picked our opponent since we played all these teams. Like we could just beat Denver today and play them if we wanted
The ideal scenario at this point is for us to win the Denver game and GSW beat the clippers. Minnesota and Memphis are shoo-ins to win their games. Under that scenario: We most likely have home court advantage over Denver in our opening series and one of LAL/GSW get eliminated.
Playoff Jimmy, for whatever reason, is the real deal. Averages 3 more points, an extra rebound, half an assist, and 2% better 3P shooting. He also plays much harder on defense during the playoffs. That's what scares me about Golden State moreso than anything else. Our best matchups would be any of the current play-in teams (Minny, Memphis, Sacramento, Dallas). So I'm hoping the standings stay basically the same after today's games.
Minnesota is going to be a tough out for anyone. The Lakers are our biggest impediment to the WC finals. If it wasn’t for the refs, I wouldn’t be scared of anyone other than OKC in the West.
Yes, Minnesota worries me most of those four teams--mainly because of Ant. They are beatable though. Would love to play against Memphis.
I read some of the warriors forum and they're afraid of the Clippers and they don't want the Lakers with refs which I find hilarious.
I do think the Lakers get the ref advantage in a matchup with anyone including the Warriors. If the NBA was corrupt enough to engineer Doncic to the Lakers, no way they stop at something as simple as fixing the Lakers/GSW series.
Correction: Grizzlies are not taking today seriously and have conceded to finishing #8. Smart decision IMO.
I appreciate Ime's bravery. but there's no one I know outside of Thibs who would say this and feel it with his entire soul. I prefer the Rockets play everyone except LAC and SAC. I am a Rockets fan through and through, but I also believe James deserves a true shot a championship. So, let's not deal with the Clips just yet, especially with the way Kawhi is looking. Sac-Town is very scary to me. DD, Zach, Sabo and crew are capable of picking our team apart at every position based on skill and experience. We'd struggle there.
I really hope the Rockets play against Sacramento in the playoffs (we could only face them in the WCF)
