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In theory he backs up Baynes so that they don't have to go small once Baynes has a rest. He is also more of a scoring option inside than Baynes so it gives them a different look inside. All in all a good pickup for the stretch run.

Anybody have any thoughts on if Mirotic makes a big difference in NO? Helps Chicago tank more which is good for us.

Mirotic doesn't make a big difference on any team. Solid player, not a difference maker. Tank away my Bulls :)

Congratulations Cleveland Cavaliers! You just traded away half your team in a series of panic moves based on regular season form, which was proven last season to mean next to nothing for you guys!

Yes, apparently Koby Altman let the endless 'hot takes' about the Cavs being in trouble when they weren't get into his head and decided to start a rebuild whilst his team was still competing for a title. Dwayne Wade was sent back to the Heat for a can of Mountain Dew. Isaiah was axed for being rusty after a lengthy injury and sent to the Lakers, who are still deluding themselves into thinking they're in the race for LeBron!

They also traded one albatross contract in Iman Shumpert for an even bigger albatross in George Hill! Have fun paying even more luxury tax than you already were Dan Gilbert! Of course the big winner out of this is Kyrie Irving, who got out of this shitshow before the season, and the Boston Celtics, who effectively acquired Irving for a first round pick and four pieces of trash.

I'd tell Cleveland to hold this L, but they already have 16 of those from the Browns. Have fun trying to convince LeBron that this franchise isn't run by clowns next off-season.

Well we already know the 8 teams that will contest the Eastern play-offs and are just waiting on the final seeding. 6-8 could change a lot, and despite Embiid potentially missing the first round with eye hurties, I daresay MIA/MIL/WAS would prefer the 7th seed, as Boston has lost Irving now too with Hayward still unlikely.

Meanwhile, the West is indeed wild.

5: New Orleans Pelicans (46-34)
6: San Antonio Spurs (46-34)
7: Oklahoma City Thunder (46-34)
8: Minnesota Timberwolves (45-35)
9: Denver Nuggets (45-35)

4 spots for 5 teams. Someone's getting screwed. And I thought SA, OKC and MIN would make it in pretty easily as the 3-5 seeds at the start of the season, meanwhile NO is still ahead of them on tiebreakers despite losing Demarcus Cousins. And after 18 straight 50-win seasons, the streak ends in San Antonio because Kawhi Leonard seems to have come down with a bad case of Derrick Rose syndrome :(.

Last edited by Jay (OTT) at 4/9/2018 6:06:37 PM

So all five teams mentioned in the previous message won their games today. That means;

- SA, OKC and NOP are all in, because...
- The final day features Denver @ Minnesota. Loser is out, since they'll be stuck on 46 wins.

For the teams already in (including Portland and Utah), seeds are now the focus, as they could still drastically change over the next couple of days. And of course the 3-4 and 6-8 seeds in the East aren't settled yet either.

Last edited by Jay (OTT) at 4/10/2018 8:39:28 PM

Western Conference:

Minnesota Timberwolves (8) vs Houston Rockets (1)
As cool as it was to see Minnesota end their play-off drought in storybook fashion (OT in a one game shootout), it seems likely that the wolves will suffer the same fate as the Vikings; getting curb stomped immediately after an unforgettable moment. Still, 47-35 is the sign of a solid team, so Houston can't get complacent.

Utah Jazz (5) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (4)
Well done Oklahoma, you managed to avoid drowning. In fact, you made it all the way back to a top four seed thanks to Portland doing you a solid. The bad news? Utah are red hot, going 29-6 in their last 35 games to make it here. Will we see the OKC superteam we were promised at the start of the season, or will they stumble again?

San Antonio Spurs (7) vs Golden State Warriors (2)
REVENGE! Wait, where's Leonard? Where he at? Damn, just when the Warriors were at their most vulnerable they catch a break in playing a team that's also weakened. The following rounds will be a challenge if Curry is still not 100%, but I can't see the Warriors dropping this one.

New Orleans Pelicans (6) vs Portland Trail Blazers (3)
The pelicans were supposed to drop back and tank after losing Cousins. But the team forgot to read the script and instead entered a play-off race that no-one thought they had business being in. I still can't see them winning the series unless play-off Rondo goes super saiyan 3, but next season? If Cousins can cut down on the turnovers, we're looking at a title contender here.

Eastern Conference:

Washington Wizards (8) vs Toronto Raptors (1)
Those fuccbois at ESPN are constantly disrespecting the Raptors after their best season ever. I look forward to watching them eat shit when the Raptors shake off the 'regular season team' stigma and make the NBA finals. Now don't let me down Toronto, please let my jinxing power fail this one time.

Indiana Pacers (5) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (4)
Without Kyrie Irving, I'm not sure Cleveland has that ability to enter 'play times over' mode and sweep the East like they did before. Indiana was unlucky not to have won a game in last years series. I think they'll do much better this time, and Oladipo surely has to win most improved player after taking this team to heights we thought they could no longer reach.

Milwaukee Bucks (7) vs Boston Celtics (2)
Congratulations Bucks! You won the seventh seed sweepstakes and have been gifted the chance to play a dead team walking in the Celtics! But, just to keep my bases covered, how do you plan on underachieving this time? I mean, you have a generational talent in Giannis and some great players around him but you only went 44-38?

Miami Heat (6) vs Philadelphia 76ers (3)
Miami could have tanked the OT period against the Raptors to drop down to the seventh seed, but no, they just had to win and take the hardest road against 'The Process' instead. Sure, Embiid is out, but not for long, and even without him the winning streak stayed intact. There's also the problem of having to defend against a 6'10" point guard named Ben Simmons...

I predict Houston vs Toronto for the finals. This might once again be a prediction from the heart rather than the head (moreso in the West since Curry isn't out for the whole play-offs), but I'd like to think that regular season form isn't entirely useless despite Cleveland's stunt last year.

I think okc and utah, portland and nop, and the washington toronto series has the potential to be really great series!

Especially the washington one because washington have beat the raptors (twice?) now in the playoffs in consecutive years. That's probably wrong but they do have small budding rivalries.