Tag: Denver Nuggets

1.5.21 Hoop Tales: We’ve Been Expecting You, Mr. (Kyle) Anderson Edition

Memphis Grizzlies 2019-2020 Player Previews: Kyle Anderson - Grizzly Bear  Blues

Monday: 1-2 (-1.15 units)

Season: 12-17 (-6.81 units)

Recap: The Sixers look great and continue to be a strong 1st quarter spread play. The Bucks scored 125 points and it felt like Giannis scored all of them instead of DiVincenzo. Fox finished 5 points shy of his over and the Kings getting blown out early did us no favors.


First Pick: Kyle Anderson O13.5 pts vs LAK (-118)

Fact #1: Anderson is averaging 18.6 PPG over his last five contests, including 18+ in four of those outings.

Fact #2: In the first game of this series, he totaled 18 on a season-high 19 shots, despite going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Fact #3: The Lakers allow an average of 26 PPG to the small forward position.


Second Pick: Kyrie Irving O27.5 pts vs UTA (-132)

Fact #1: Durant (health and safety protocols) is out tonight, missing his second game of the young season.

Fact #2: There’s an average of 17.5 shots per game up for grabs this evening.

Fact #3: In his first 10 games in BK last season without Durant, Irving averaged 28 PPG and I would expect a similar full-game effort tonight.

That 2nd pick was TLC until I saw he wasn’t starting tonight.


Third Pick: Nikola Jokić U24.5 pts vs MIN (-120)

Fact #1: Joker is leading the league in assists per game at 12.8, which shows he’s focused more on doing more in the offense than just scoring.

Fact #2: Joker has scored 25+ against the Kings twice this season and is 0-4 at that number against everyone else, including a 19-point triple-double effort in the first game of this 2-game series.


Fourth Pick: Clippers -2.5 1st quarter spread vs SAS (-118)

Fifth and Sixth Picks: Paul George O3.5 Made 3Pters (-134) and O24.5 points (-110) vs SAS

PG has been ruled out tonight with an ankle injury, so I’m not playing Clippers -3 1dt quarter spread anymore.

The 300s 2019 NBA Playoff Predictions

With the NBA playoffs now underway, a handful of The 300s team members have taken the NBA bracket challenge. The picks are in, and here’s what we’ve got for finals predictions. We’ll routinely check in after each round is finished and see who actually knows what they’re talking about. Here’s what we’re looking at for finals predictions:

GRENGA

Image result for THUNDER VS BUCKS LOGO

FINALS: BUCKS vs. THUNDER
WINNER: THUNDER

The Bucks were the best team in the NBA this year, and Giannis is unstoppable. They are getting healthy at just the right time, and although last years ROY Malcolm Brogdon will miss the first round, they won’t need him. I think the Celtics will give them some trouble in the second round, but I’m just not sold that the Celtics can play consistent enough to beat the NBA’s best team, especially since they only finished the year one game over .500 on the road. The Bucks dominated Toronto in the regular season, so I don’t think they’ll have a problem with them when they eventually meet up in the ECF. As for the Sixers, that process is still going.

In the West, the Thunder have a long road to the championship, but I think this is their year. Paul George is playing out of his mind, and when you combine his MVP-caliber play with constant triple-doubles from Westbrook and a defensive post-monster in the form of Steven Adams, I think they have what it takes to beat anyone in 7. They swept the season series against Portland, the Nuggets are set up for an early exit with the youngest team in the playoffs, and I think they matchup against the Bucks as well as anybody. The biggest question is whether or not they play the Warriors in the WCF. I have the Rockets topping the Warriors because they won the season series, but I might be falling for a trap. Honestly, I’m just sick of the Warriors and want any excuse to root against them. We’ll see how it goes.

BIG Z

Image result for raptor vs. warriors LOGO

FINALS: RAPTORS vs. WARRIORS
WINNER: WARRIORS

“Short and sweet here. I’m going with the Warriors. The NBA is a top-heavy league and there’s no reason not to take the favorite. As for the Celtics, I think they’ll make it past the Bucks to the Conference Finals because they’ve got so much talent. I think they’ll fall to the Raptors in the conference finals though, because when the going gets tough I think they’ll ultimately pack it in. This will mark 3 straight championships and 4 outta 5 for Dubs.”

JIMMY LIPS

Image result for ROCKETS VS BUCKS LOGO

FINALS: BUCKS vs. ROCKETS
WINNER: BUCKS


“Milwaukee — the league’s best team in the regular season — has a cupcake path to the Finals. The Bucks went 14-2 against their division this season and neither of those 2 losses were at the hands of the Pistons, who lost all four contests by an average of 14.75 points. Being that I have the Victor Oladipo-less Pacers beating the Celtics in Round 1 (in 7 games), the Bucks 14-2 record against the Central still applies here. Now, the Pacers did top the Bucks back in late December, however that was Milwaukee’s third game in four nights. When the Bucks meet the Raptors in the ECF, it’ll be the first time they’ve been there since George Karl was at the helm in 2001. In games in which Mr. Leonard played, the teams split the two meetings but haven’t played since January 31. That shouldn’t matter overall and Milwaukee should advance to its first Finals appearance since the 70s.

Out West, spoiler alert: the Rockets are beating the Warriors in Round 2. This is a healthy Rockets squad and they will get the Warriors a round earlier, assuring they are fresh. Houston took 3 of 4 during the regular season, including the classic at Oracle on January 3 that went to OT thanks to The Beard. They’ll meet Denver in the WCF because there isn’t a strong enough case to build for OKC beating a formidable and hungrier team like the Nuggets in a 7-game series. The Beard and CP3 get the Rockets to their first Finals appearance since 1995 when they won back-to-back chippers with some guy named Olajuwon at center. Rejoice, NBA fans. We will get to see this season’s top two MVP candidates face off in June. Milwaukee swept the season series. And yes, I know, CP3 didn’t play in one of those games.

Bucks in 6. The Greek World Order begins this summer.”

RED

Image result for CELTICS VS WARRIORS LOGO

FINALS: CELTICS vs. WARRIORS
WINNER: WARRIORS

“I’ve got the Celtics making it through the toughest road in the East, going through the Pacers, Giannis and the Bucks, and Kawhi and the Raptors before falling to the Warriors in the NBA Finals. The Celtics match up with the Warriors better than any other team in the NBA, but its hard to pick against the team that is one Kyrie Irving circus shot away from being back to back to back to back champions. Warriors in 6.”

 

Real Talk: I’m Not Mad at Jamal Murray and Kyrie Needs to Relax

Image result for jamal murray

Look, sometimes you just have to buck up and admit when you got got.

Last night, Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray went off on the Celtics in his team’s 115-107 victory in the Mile High City last night, scoring 48 points on 63 percent shooting, including five triples.

He tried his damnedest, however, to break the 50-point mark by hoisting up a completely unnecessary three-point attempt at the buzzer – and that little move is what irked Kyrie Irving and a few other Celtics teammates so much on Monday night.

Seriously, with the way Kyrie acted – firing the ball into the stands after rebounding Murray’s missed last-second shot attempt – you would’ve thought Murray took a shit in the Celtics’ Gatorade cooler. Kyrie even doubled-down on his reaction after the game (h/t ESPN.com):

“I mean, what kind of competitor wouldn’t it bother? I understand if we fouled him, going to the free throw line. … I don’t want to make a big deal out of it…Obviously, I was pissed at the game, but it’s time to decompress and move on. Congratulations to him having 48 points. …But the ball deserves to go in the crowd after a bulls— move like that. So I threw it in the crowd.”

Honestly, dude, relax. Love ya. Mean it. But you’re acting like a third-grader who didn’t get one last push on the swing before recess was over even though the other kid got to go TWICE.

And to fire the ball into the stands over it? Really?

To be entirely honest, I’ve never been one to buy into the whole “running up the score” myth anyway. I cannot stand it when a team gets criticized for simply continuing to do what they are supposed to do – score points and win the game! – in ANY sport, at ANY time. I don’t care if you’re up three touchdowns with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, toss the hail mary and go for another score if you want! Up five goals at the end of the third period? Rip one from the blue line straight at the goalie’s chest and make him stop the damn puck.

If you’re a professional sports team and you can’t prevent the other team from scoring on you, that’s not their problem; it’s yours. Stop them next time.

Look, I’m not saying that sportsmanship isn’t important, and I’m not endorsing the idea of acting like a selfish douche out on the field of play. I’ll also note that, yes, in that situation most players would have simply let the clock run out and not have gone for another basket. The Celtics weren’t even trying to defend the shot, and they were caught off guard.

But I think the real anger had to do more with the fact that they let a career 13.6-point-per-game player drop more than three times that amount on them last night. Or maybe it was the fact that it was their second-straight loss to a team that they were expecting to beat. Or maybe it was the fact that loss gives them four already on the year in just 10 games.

Regardless, let’s stop vilifying a 21-year-old who just had the game of his life and maybe just got a little too caught up in the moment. Monday night was his night. Deal with it.

End rant.

Wait, Not Every NBA Team Has Their Own D-League Team? How is That Possible?

Bleacher ReportThe Los Angeles Clippers announced Monday they’re establishing an expansion team in the NBA D-League. The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario will begin play at the start of the 2017-18 season in Ontario, Calif. “This is another exciting day for the NBA D-League as we add a record 26th team and continue to move closer to our 30-team vision,” league president Malcolm Turner said in a statement.

Maybe I’m just a moron, but I had no idea that not every NBA team has a D-League team? How is that even possible? Are the other NBA teams just drafting guys to either start Day 1 or stash overseas and if you don’t fit into one of those two plans? Well, right to hell with you. Its called the D-League for a reason. Its the Developmental League. Theres a reason it exists. To develop players. And apparently a bunch of teams are just punting on having a minor league team?

So NBA teams are just trusting other organizations with their draft picks like a loan system out of the Premiere League? I don’t even trust my coworkers to borrow a pen without fucking it up.

The Clippers had been one of the few teams without an official affiliate in the D-League. Upon being sent to the D-League, rookie forward Brice Johnson played for the Salt Lake City Stars, a Utah Jazz affiliate. Rookie center Diamond Stone split his time between the Stars and the Santa Cruz Warriors, who are under the Golden State Warriors’ umbrella.

This would be like the Red Sox wanting to groom a player, but not having a minor league team so just saying eh, fuck it go play for the Yankees Triple-A team in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a few months. Bananas.

Its not like the D League (apologies, the Gatorade League) is a place where players go to die like some sort of exile. There’s been some pretty legit NBA players that have come out of or been optioned to the D League in their first couple of years:

Avery Bradley

JJ Barea

Marcin Gortat

Jeremy Lin

Chris Birdman Anderson

It seems like more of the league is starting to figure out its probably not a bad idea to have a place to develop talent without having to throw guys into the fire in the NBA.

Right now the only teams without a D League squad are the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, and Washington Wizards.

How many championships have teams that place zero interest on developing talent won? Well, that would be two titles. Between four teams. In the entire HISTORY of the NBA. Two. The last one coming in 1978 when the Wizards were the Bullets. So hey, don’t fix what ain’t broke boys.