Nobody wants to see Victor. I'll take my chances with OKC. We play them well and always get up for those games. I really want to see that series.
With the Spurs it's never about slenderman. It's their Johnson, Vassell, Champagnie, Barnes, any Jose picked up from Culebra Rd suddenly averaging 8 more points than their season averages and hitting 30 footers even with a hand on their face Battier style.
Controversial take maybe, I don't think it matters at all. We'll get spanked either way. Maybe Lakers would be better sans Doncic for the first round but we're getting **** on regardless.
I do have a tiny remark on that one, sure, for Durant himself, anything short of a Championship is bust as he is nearing hanging it up and retirement. For the young Rockets Core, one WCF exit would be huge and a stepping stone towards Real Contention.
The sad irony is the reason the Lakers are the only we might be able to beat is Ime and winning a playoff series likely takes away any slim chance they get rid if him in the offseason.
Honestly there’s not even a slim chance we get rid of him in the offseason. The bigger disaster is if we barely beat the lakers and then get destroyed in the second round, he will dump some young guys and that will function as a bandaid. It will buy him more time. Stone and Udoka are protecting each other because they both care deeply about making as much money as possible. They’ve ring-fenced this arrangement by ensuring there’s no one in the front office or on the coaching staff who can credibly say: hey they’re protecting each other by sacrificing/deflating assets that took half a decade to stockpile. Ime’s record in the first round as a 1st/2nd seed vs 7th/8th seeds is 7-7. His head to head regular season record against Reddick is 2-4. I’m not so confident that this will be easy.
by no means am I saying that we should be favored to get out of the west but I think this is a better team than we had a year ago. I would rather play the Lakers for sure. And to be honest, it would seem to me like there is a way to manipulate these last two games to make that happen. they are extremely beat up and by the time you get to the second round, you have no idea what the health status of anyone will be anyway. something terrible could happen to us or something terrible could happen to our second round opponent to open the door. I actually think that we have been playing better the last stretch of the season and I do not see the fourth quarter jitters being as problematic in the playoffs. I get that that is a controversial stance to take, but I think that we will be a little bit more prepare prepared for it.
Because their rebuild went way better than ours and much like when it was Harden vs the Warriors in the WCF being the "true finals" that's probably the case with them and OKC until OKC's roster prices them out and the Spurs become the next dynasty. Wemby's a 1 of 1 like a Jordan or LeBron (i hate it, because that lanky French prick is not somebody i like at all - but it's fact) and he's actually got a great team of young prospects around him. **** luck for us tbh.
Christian Braun (ankle, hip) listed out for Sunday. Cam Johnson (injury management) listed out for Sunday. Aaron Gordon (injury management) listed out for Sunday. Jamal Murray (shoulder) listed out for Sunday. Nikola Jokic (injury management) listed questionable for Sunday Devin Vassell (rib) questionable for Sunday. Stephon Castle (foot) questionable for Sunday. Victor Wembanyama (rib) questionable for Sunday.
LAL path all day. Thats the only team traffic cone sengun and dumbass IME can beat.... wait... or atleast have a chance at beating.
