AROUND THE 2024 NBA PLAYOFFS: Eastern & Western Conference Finals

Both Minnesota and Indiana threw game and possibly series on bad inbound late.

 

Boy, that "Anthony Edwards is the GOAT!!!" era was short-lived.

I literally turned off the game when I saw that the Mavs had the last possession. Everyone could see what was going to happen. I mean, come up with a new script, Basketball Gods!

 

it's early in the series still, but..

Dallas big man rotation of Gafford + Lively = 17M in salary (28M if you count Kleber)

Minny big man rotation of KAT + Gobert + Reid = 90M

that fits a bias I've developed about bigs in the NBA over the last few years. That bias being, yeah, if you have a generational talent like Jokic or Embiid (assuming they aren't injury prone), then spend and pay the market price of generational talent. But if you have sub-all-star bigs, you shouldn't be spending more than 20-22% of the cap on the big rotation, and shouldn't be paying any of them much more than 20M a year

I like Sabonis a lot as a player, but I question if his impact is worth the 47M/year the Kings will be paying him over the next 4 seasons. Would a team, any team, be better with a Gafford at 13M/year than with a Sabonis at 47M/year?

Valunciunas has never made more than 16.5M/year. Nic Claxton's highest salary was this season's 9.6M; of course, he's UFA this summer and likely to get a big raise. This was the first season Clint Capela hit the 20M mark, and he'll make 22M next season but then be a 31 year old UFA C. Kevon Looney's high salary over 9 seasons has been 8M. I believe Nurkic was overpaid on his last deal, but it caps out at 19.4M in 2025-26; that summer he'll be a 32 year old UFA C with an extensive injury history. Ivica Zubac is playing for a 3 year deal averaging under 11M/year. Nick Richards is making 5M/year. Myles Turner 20M/year. Jarett Allen 20M/year

Blazers will be paying 46.5M for the injury prone duo of Ayton+Timelord, and will likely end up close to 50M with an insurance big or two; more if they spend a lottery pick on a big. That's 35% of the cap. That probably doesn't matter much considering what the team's trajectory is; and it may self-correct when both C's are UFA's in 2026. But it still seems out of balance

 

There should be an asterisk to that: Don't draft a center in the first few picks.

1) Other than Embiid, the above examples show that you're more likely to find center production later in the draft.

2) Drafting anyone high in the lottery probably means they're going to get paid like a star even if production is only slightly above average.

 

Buy low and sell high.

 

Well, Ant is young and some of their role players are young, but it’s hard to apply the inexperienced card to them when core guys include Conley, KAT, and Gobert.

 

In Dallas this weekend thought I'd look at some cheap nosebleed tickets for game 3..... Cheapest is at the very back of 300 level behind the basket and is $278!

So I won't be doing that. Can probably get close to courtside for a Blazers game at that price once they move on to full on tank mode later next year.

 

I basically agree with all of this except Reid is an excellent value so I'd think he could fit on the cap sheet for every contender. He made around 7 3s yesterday and plays great D.

Gobert wins DPOY then gets hunted by Luka in the final play giving up the game winning 3. Seen that script in the postseason with Gobert for most of the past decade.

 

KAT has never been in the playoffs before, no? I know Gobert has been there before, but never a conference finals I don’t think.

 

good start by Boston, 78% FG. Pacers hanging tough, down just 5

 

Hauser 0-7 from 3 in this series.

then Pritchard airballed his deep ball

Pacers down a basket

 

it's all Indy, they can't miss, up 15

 

Boston looks lost in the Carlisle Maze. This series might take longer then expected.

 

Celtics are smacking Pacers right in the ear, then complaining to the refs, stop blowing the whistle. Ear ... is not part of the ball.

 

Wish Scoot can play like McConnell

 

Boston chipping away at Pacers big lead.

3 point game

 

Jrue strong drive, Celtics up 1. Pacers need a bucket, 37s left

 

Holiday dagger steal

 

Indy last second triple pending ...