Jokic is unreal 
NBA 2023-2024
- Thread starter charlton66
- Start date
Also, whats with Steve Kerr and Jokic, dont remember when i last time saw a coach talking to oppo player like that.
I would get the NBA League Pass. It's kinda pricey (around £20 a month) but as someone who lives in the UK who works full time and have a family, it works for me. I stay away from the results and you can rewatch the entire broadcast (for every single team in the league, I tend to just watch the Rockets and perhaps a couple of live games if I happen to stay up beyond midnight). You can just watch the highlights for each game too, if you don't fancy sitting through an entire game.
That's really the best way to do it.
There's a youtube channel called Thinking Basketball that I love. It's both entertaining and interesting as a fan but I imagine it would also be a super useful tool for someone trying to get into the game and understand the different tactics and schemes.
Other than that though, you just gotta watch the games man. Just start watching and you'll find yourself understanding more and more as you go, and you'll probably also find yourself gravitating towards a particular team the more you watch. You have a link to Toronto, so perhaps you'll naturally gravitate towards the Raptors. I gave my mate this exact same advice and he ended up becoming a Wolves fan because he liked Ant Edwards (I tried throwing Rockets propaganda at him obviously but we were the worst team in the league that year, so I was at a disadvantage
Cheers! I don't think I will pay for anything but I do have basically every single channel, and of course there's highlights. I'll have a little look around for some basic knowledge.
I've probably asked this question before, but I got really into NBA when I lived in Toronto. I was there in the streets nearly getting crushed when the Raptors won in 2019.
If I wanted to get into this more what's some obvious first steps? Would I need to be up at 2am watching games? Are there certain accounts I should follow?
I never really fully grasped certain parts of it, especially tactically. I get that you're often trying to drag everyone over to an area before a quick switch for a free player to shoot, and then obviously you've got counters and things like that but for example when I try to play NBA on console I have no idea what to do
In terms of positions, funnily enough this line is getting blurrier and blurrier in the modern game. But generally, you'll see positions referred to by either a number or an acronym:
1=PG=point guard - this has historically been the smallest player on the team, who is chiefly responsible for initiating the offense and setting up teammates to score. In the past, these players could focus more on passing but nowadays with the advent of high pick and roll (PnR), they have to either be great 3 point shooters or great at attacking the rim.
2=SG=shooting guard - this was MJ's position; historically the guard who would take on the biggest scoring burden. These days though a lot of the time you will find more defensive players here to help compensate for a defensively weak but offensively elite PG.
3=SF=small forward - usually the guy who could do a bit of everything; this is still the case though now obviously there's more focus on 3 point shooting
4=PF=power forward - historically the second biggest guy; maybe he could shoot 18 footers but that was about it for spacing since rebounding was the focus. Nowadays this position doesn't really exist.
5=C=center - the tallest guy, main rebounder, plays near both hoops. Not too many elite classic centers around anymore - the best ones have at least one other offensive skill (e.g. passing or shooting) beyond standing in the paint and being tall.
Modern positions are a lot more straightforward - basically there are 3: guard, wing, and center.
The biggest change to the way the game has been played in the 90s and even 00s is the advent of spacing. Historically teams had 2 big guys who couldn't shoot beyond 6 feet standing near the hoop, so with defenders as well that made it incredibly difficult to attack the rim through all those bodies, and it made it far easier for defenses to shift players quickly to cover any lapses. Modern teams instead play with at least 4 players on the perimeter (or if you're the best team in the league like the Celtics you play with 5 out) and make sure they keep as much space as possible between their players - because this increases the distances defenders have to travel. The other key tactical trend is the advent of high pick and roll - because offenses can isolate two defenders with the increased space and because players are better at shooting than ever, this can force switches on defense which results in mismatches.
Thanks!
So from the only team I spent a proper season or two watching, for reference…
PG - Sounds like this would’ve been Kyle Lowry?
SG - What it do baby
SF - Would this be Siakam then? The name small forward is a bit misleading. Unless maybe it was Kawhi.
PF - Or maybe this is Siakam.
Centre - Gasol? I think. Big Spanish guy.
Why are they called guards if their main job is offence? And what’s pick and roll? Sounds like something people do with their bogeys.
You are better with highlights. You get the odd game on a Sunday at a reasonable time (6/8pm) but otherwise it's midnight on weekdays which just isn't tenable unless you are a maniac. In-season tournament aside, because of the size of the schedule individual games don't really matter a great deal. I tend to watch highlights of specific good games until after the all-star break when it gets more important and I might download the odd few. Then of course it's worth watch the play-offs, and staying up for game 7s, finals etc.
Yeah so the 18/19 Raptors would probably be classified thusly:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Danny Green
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Pascal Siakam
C: Serge Ibaka
Then off the bench they had OG as a 3 primarily, Gasol as a 5, VanVleet as a 1 or 2, etc. But again they rarely went 2 bigs with both Gasol and Ibaka on the court at the same time, so the better way to think about it would be Lowry / Green as guards, Kawhi / Pascal as wings, and Ibaka as the center.
Guards are called guards because it's a throwback to the way basketball used to exist - dribbling wasn't allowed, so teams would have guards stay back at their end to defend the basket, forwards up the other end to attack, and centers in the middle to facilitate. Dribbling actually came about because there was no penalty for bobbling the ball / not catching it cleanly, so they would dribble it to avoid having definitive possession and the game changed accordingly.
Pick and roll is when an offensive player sets a screen on the defender of his teammate with the ball. Because of the obstruction, space is created for the guy with the ball, and often times the screen setter can then roll towards the basket into space for a good look.
I see. Ok cool thanks for the help! I’ll try and catch some highlights and see where I go from there.
Spurs and Bucks was by far the best NBA game in at least the last two years. Jokic and Nuggets was a pretty incredible thing to watch too, but make no mistake, that Spurs/Bucks game was an all-time classic, period. Giannis in God Mode, Wemby more than taking it to Giannis, including an incredible self-alley oop dish!
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Agree, I only saw the highlights but the game seemed like one of the best in recent memory.
So many memorable moments that could be best plays of the just by themselves. Giannis with multiple poster dunks, one on Wemby, then Wemby with the behind the back poster on Lopez, then the self alley-oop dunk. But the best for me was that block on Giannis at the end. A multiple times MVP, finals MVP and guaranteed HOF going for the finisher on the hyped up rookie and Wemby just stuffs the dunk attempt with zero respect.
What made the match great was the genuine one on one battle between these two. You don't see that alot these days because the best players don't defend the opposition best players.
I agree and what’s funny is that I generally find both teams very boring to watch. I’m not a fan the Bucks’ brand of basketball at all, and Spurs have managed to surround Wemby with a bunch of players who all seem allergic to passing him the ball. But it was a brilliant game. Wemby’s block on Giannis with seconds left to give his team one more chance was insane.
Watched the highlights and it was a rare bucks game that didn’t consist of:
Giannis drives
Flops and flails
Shoots free throws
In defence of Giannis though, I’ve watched a few bucks games and it’s only when his teammates shots’ aren’t falling that he just goes into drive mode and tries to run through the opposition on his own. When other guys are shooting and making he actually chills out a bit
Spurs are a hard watch though. Can’t defend for shit….refuse to give Wemby the ball thereby stunting their attack
No worries mate! If you have other questions feel free to PM or tag me!
It’s crazy that Ja Morant ended up with twice as long a ban as Draymond. I think if we use Morant as a barometer, then Draymond, as a repeat offender, should have been banned at least 50 games.
I'm sure he's a new man.
Surely he'll come back and play it cool for a few weeks, at least.
Surely he'll come back and play it cool for a few weeks, at least.
50 game ban for an on court fight ? You can’t be serious.
Let’s be honest, they only suspended him that period so Draymond wouldn’t go full MMA on national TV during the festive season.
I value your opinion because you seem quite knowledgeable, but a 50 game ban would have been ridiculous.
Definitely agree. Green's a dick but 50 games is way too much.
50-games for his constant petulance, idiotic aggression, and feigning "I didn't do anything!" over the years might have truly set him right from here on out. Perhaps the righting of his mental ship has sailed.
Looking forward to his next irrational in-game reaction to something leading to him getting tossed, probably will occur this season.
Looking forward to his next irrational in-game reaction to something leading to him getting tossed, probably will occur this season.
This month probably.
I honestly disagree. He’s a repeat offender and that last one he did was particularly egregious. When you keep giving someone 2-5 game suspension and they not only don’t reign in their behaviour, they escalate the violence, you gotta draw a line and throw the hammer down.
Just watched this. I’ve heard of both Wembanyama and Giannis. Also Damian Lillard for some reason but not sure why. Some of Wembanyama’s baskets here are class. The one behind his back and the one where he fades past the guy like he isn’t there and uses the backboard. I also enjoyed the fake shot (not sure of the term) where he brings it fully round before dunking by the number 3 for the Spurs.
Giannis also looks like he just bulldozes through whenever he wants. Is that his style? because it looks pretty unstoppable. Is he better closer to the hoop? I wasn’t sure why at 9:03 they all just stood and let him shoot that 3 unchallenged.
I feel like I must sound like such a newb because I don’t know the terminology
but I’m fine with that.I agree, but 50 games is excessive. I think what they did was not unreasonable. It's already 12 games and probably a couple more before he gets back to full fitness.
Just watched this. I’ve heard of both Wembanyama and Giannis. Also Damian Lillard for some reason but not sure why. Some of Wembanyama’s baskets here are class. The one behind his back and the one where he fades past the guy like he isn’t there and uses the backboard. I also enjoyed the fake shot (not sure of the term) where he brings it fully round before dunking by the number 3 for the Spurs.
Giannis also looks like he just bulldozes through whenever he wants. Is that his style? because it looks pretty unstoppable. Is he better closer to the hoop? I wasn’t sure why at 9:03 they all just stood and let him shoot that 3 unchallenged.
I feel like I must sound like such a newb because I don’t know the terminology
The terminology is fine, it's the "I've heard of both" part that makes it obvious.
They’ve allowed him back after 12 games. That’s nothing. He’s almost certain to assault someone again in the first 10-15 games.
It doesn’t have to be 50 though. I just threw that out there as a ballpark. Call it 30 games, or 25 like Ja.
That’s basically Giannis in a nutshell. He’s impossible to defend because the refs have essentially made it impossible to defend him. His whole thing is running through people like a bulldozer. Half the fouls he gets are actually offensive fouls if the refs ever dared to ref him correctly, but since they don’t, he gets to run through people and get 20-25 foul calls per game. It’s awful to watch but hey, superstars gotta be protected innit (unless your name is Jokic).
I did see people talking about the reffing the other day and that it’s the worst it’s ever been or something. To the point where people are wondering if it’s on purpose.
NBA ref moaning > Football ref moaning
https://www.tiktok.com/@sowhat_gg/video/7320864246617722118
Jokic spin move the other night. He slid his pivot foot, appeared to drag it slightly more, then made his move to the basket. I don't recall sliding a pivot foot being permitted 30+ years ago.
Has the league completely reset the rules? Am I missing something that makes sliding a pivot foot legal?
Jokic spin move the other night. He slid his pivot foot, appeared to drag it slightly more, then made his move to the basket. I don't recall sliding a pivot foot being permitted 30+ years ago.
Has the league completely reset the rules? Am I missing something that makes sliding a pivot foot legal?
.....or Steph.
Why are suspensions for so many games? Is it because there’s so many in a season anyway?
Googled why Green was suspended, ah ok fair enough.
Googled why Ja Morant was suspended. Oh ok
Googled why Ja Morant was suspended. Oh ok
As a Warriors fan, I would have traded Draymond if his value wasn't in the gutter right now but 50 games suspension calls is a joke.
His on-court "assaults" are all lame on-court altercations and opposition players know they can rile him up and sell the contact afterwards. Him and the team have already been punished for it 3 times - in game with the ejection, technical fouls, 1-5 game suspension afterwards and then the 12-game suspension (which as charlton said, will actually be a 15 game suspension).
What's with this weird obsession especially on reddit to call everything an assault especially for people on a football forum. What Draymond does would be a red card and that would be it in football. This is not Pistons or Pacers or 1980s NBA territory.
His on-court "assaults" are all lame on-court altercations and opposition players know they can rile him up and sell the contact afterwards. Him and the team have already been punished for it 3 times - in game with the ejection, technical fouls, 1-5 game suspension afterwards and then the 12-game suspension (which as charlton said, will actually be a 15 game suspension).
What's with this weird obsession especially on reddit to call everything an assault especially for people on a football forum. What Draymond does would be a red card and that would be it in football. This is not Pistons or Pacers or 1980s NBA territory.
@charlton66 why are we not looking at Caruso. Bulls want to trade players and Steph always works well with players like Caruso and GP2 won't stay fit long enough.
Guessing the Bulls would ask for at least Kuminga plus a first round pick down the line which could be incredibly valuable given where GS's best players are career arc-wise. Pretty steep price for a team that isn't even in the play-in right now.
Caruso's trade value is immense because literally every contender could use him and he's on a very team-friendly deal. GS has the assets to get him but dunno if they have the appetite - especially if the rumours are true that Lacob loves Kuminga.
So I see Wembanyama is seen as a generational prospect, and that he was first draft pick to the Spurs. I also see they’re bottom. Does someone like this usually get a trade pretty early on? How do trades work and does it have to be a trade? They can’t just buy someone?
Must be a bit shit to be the best at college level and then get drafted onto the shittiest team. But I guess it means you stand out too.
Must be a bit shit to be the best at college level and then get drafted onto the shittiest team. But I guess it means you stand out too.
I mean it happens every year. Jordan was drafted by a bad Bulls team, Morant by a bad Grizzlies team, SGA to a bad Thunder team, LeBron to a bad Cavs team. They usually don't get a trade, Spurs have his rights for 4 years IIRC.
You can't buy players, league has to approve the trades as fair.
Spurs have been bad for a bit so they should have a decent set of players, but they lost the best one to the Hawks. He passed on the significantly better contact the Spurs could offer to get out. Orlando has been bad so long they're now full of young talent and good again, Kings did the same recently, Wolves as well.
I can see Wemby leaving the Spurs as soon as he can if they don't build a good team in the next 3-4 years.
Ah ok cheers! So the player they lost to the Hawks, did they trade him? Do they have to do it or can they force them to stay?
Also if teams gets two draft picks each season what happens to their roster? Do they have to move people on?