Game Thread NBA Playoffs Thread - 2023 Eastern & Western Conference Finals!

Ya but his defense was absolutely stellar

 

So you think LeBron cost them that game? Not sure they are there without him? At least that is what I’m thinking?

 

Denver is tough at home.

 

Bruce Brown was available and we picked Payton

 

Brick, brick, brick, fumble. He may have gotten them there but he did them no favors tonight. Winning IN Denver might’ve put them on track to win the whole thing. But he blew it. Everyone gets old.

 

He wouldn’t have helped us. At best, he would’ve killed the tank.

 

he was our first choice and he picked denver instead for lesser money.

smart guy.

 

Denver is the worst #1 seed in the West in a while. No depth, mental errors.....this series looks like it will go 7. I can't see the Nuggets winning on the road.
Porter jr is not as good as I thought.

 

everything happens for a reason. we might be a playin exit with 13th pick or one and done with non-lottery pick if we did somewhat better this year. now we have 3rd pick.
same the previous year, sharpe wont be a blazer if we were a little better.

 

Yeah 1 rebound from a triple double while playing defense and logging 40 mins in Denver. "Old LeBron"

 

I wouldn't expect a 53 win #1 seed to be a particularly dominant #1 seed. Blazers won 54 games in 2014 and were the #5 seed.

Denver is 8-0 in the playoffs at home, and 2-3 on the road. With Miami leading the other series, Denver may not have to win a single road game to win the title.

 

LBJ is still good. However, he is definitely showing his age. A younger LBJ would not have bricked a wide-open layup in the last few minutes of the game last night. It is still amazing what he is doing at his age, but when I as a Laker Hater prefer him taking shots late in the game instead of one of their role players, then you know he has to finally be showing his age. Maybe it is an altitude thing but even in the 4th quarter against Minnesota, he made some turnovers that were shockingly bad.

Having said all that I think the Lakers will run Denver out of the gym in LA.

 

Last year’s #1 seed in West lost by 40 at home in game 7 of the second round. The #1 seed in West two years ago got obliterated in the second round by Terrence Mann and Reggie Jackson. Denver is actually the BEST #1 seed in the West in awhile. Undefeated at home, two wins away from Finals.

 

That loss to Spurs where we had to play John Butler Jr at PG to blow a lead late changed the complete course of the Blazers’ future. Crazy but true.

 

Triple double means nothing when you’re bricking 3 after 3 while Murray is hitting on the other end. Plus the blown dunk with no one in sight. And the missed layup with the game on the line. LeBron was the #1 reason they lost.

 

ESPN said LeBron has missed 19 straight 3's in the 4th

 

So you think their 8 man rotation looks good? I don't. They may win it but that says more about the rest of the west this year. I don't see a dominant team in either conference. That bodes well for any team next year looking to make a jump.

 

Jamal was sluggish out the gate, but got hot in the final period. Stepping on the gas late, quite a bit different then Blazers folding like origami down the stretch.

 

So the Nuggets didn’t have anything to do with it?
I see.

 

See? He’s historically awful.