2013-14 NBA Thread part 1

[dreunc1542]

He's not there for a matchup against LeBron. He's there to give them scoring and playmaking off the bench, something they've badly needed the past two years.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The voices on the radio disagree with you. I could see the argument that he represents bench production and, more importantly, six more fouls at that position, but that's not what I heard people saying.

 

[dreunc1542]

The voices on the radio are usually full of shirt. Also, why are the six fouls so important? That's usually only important when we're talking about a big guy going against someone like Shaq or Dwight Howard.

 

[Bob Cook]

It's not a matter of turning the tide against the Heat. It's a matter of getting some scoring off the bench. For a while, it looked like the Pacers' bench had improved with the acquisitions of Luis Scola and C.J. Watson, but their scoring has dipped a lot. The thought was Granger could be a high-scoring sixth man, but he's not finding his rhythm. Plus, he's a terrible defender.

I think the idea with Turner is to put him in so Stephenson doesn't have to play extra minutes with the bench. Turner, like Stephenson, likes to drive a lot, so he can come in and be Lance-ish for a few minutes.

Even last year, Indiana's starters outplayed Miami's starting five. It was the Pacers' bench that would sink things in a hurry. If acquisitions like Bynum, Turner and Allen can give 5-15 minutes of holding court, that's all Indiana might need.

 

[MisterCreosote]

The voices on the radio are usually full of shirt. Also, why are the six fouls so important? That's usually only important when we're talking about a big guy going against someone like Shaq or Dwight Howard.

Sorry I brought it up. Carry on.

 

[dreunc1542]

Creosote, from Zach Lowe, who is much better than what you'll hear on the radio: "And … let's settle down. Turner has been only OK this season. Let's not act like the Pacers are acquiring the missing piece here. They are taking a flier on Turner doing what Granger was trying to do: fill the modest wing minutes Indy was giving to Solomon Hill types before Granger came back. That's it. Viewed that way, Turner could be an important upgrade."

 

[MisterCreosote]

That's fine, but you can't fault some people for looking at everything the Pacers do through the lens of doing what it takes to beat the Heat. That's the mountain left for them to climb.

I think that's all the dickheads I heard were saying.

 

[dreunc1542]

And, if he could turn a second quarter with some off-the-bench scoring, he could theoretically give them a small boost that puts them over-the-top. Those two teams are so closely matched that it wouldn't take much.

 

[Bob Cook]

That's fine, but you can't fault some people for looking at everything the Pacers do through the lens of doing what it takes to beat the Heat. That's the mountain left for them to climb.

I think that's all the dickheads I heard were saying.

Everything the Pacers are doing is about beating the Heat. heck, the Pacers say that.

 

[Songbird]

I'm not a Howard fan but I can appreciate that in a big way he helped ramrod the Lakers at Staples. 29 and 13 plus some blocks, but the best part is when he joined the crowd when they'd chant HOWARD SUCKS!

At times the Rockets play with that verve. Other times you just don't forking know. If somehow OKC or SA don't make the finals, I think it'll be the Rockets if everyone stays healthy. I should probably include the Clippers in that sentence because they can be so devastating and Griffin is having his best season, but they'll never get beyond "Clippers Being Clippers" until they make the Finals.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Will TNT have the Western Conference games playoff tip off at dinner time local time so Easterners like me can see them? They can put the Eastern Conference on NBA TV.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Knicks' Raymond Felton busted on weapons charges, with wife saying he threatened her.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10514816/raymond-felton-new-york-knicks-arrested-weapons-charges

Heterosexual relationship, thus no distraction.