NBA Discussion Thread 2016/2017
Obi One
Senior Member
Observations, stats, discussions......drop em here. Good luck everybody.
Comments
Thanks for starting this thread Obi One. I wanted to throw something out on here, though I am not sure how much it is worth: as far as I can tell, Anthony Davis has played against the Spurs 14 times in his career, and against the spread the for those games the Pelicans are 10-2-2. 2 of the 14 games were b2b (as is the game tonight), and the Pelicans covered both of those. I'm not sure this constitutes enough of a reason to bet against the Spurs, but at least maybe it is worth re-considering if you were just about to bet the house on the Spurs...
Hey Rook,
I understand where you're coming from, but this is not the way I look at games. By that I mean: I don't care how teams did 2 or 3 years ago vs each other. There were other players, other coaches, and as the NBA quickly evolves, probably even different philosophies as to how the roster should be constructed and which players give you an edge.
As for tonight's matchup, I was very tempted to make Spurs -13.5 a play. That's how bad the current Pelicans team is. I am staying away, after multiple mistakes on defense by Gasol and LMA. The Spurs are also having a lot of trouble with their offensive sets. The spacing they made famous for so long is not there currently. Quitte a few kinks they have to work out.
But watch the game and notice how bad Davis' supporting cast is. It's a pity for such a good player.
Thanks old timer, looking forward to another NBA season!
As usual with Popovich, Parker and Ginobili out, with eye on b2b.
All info already in the line off course. Personally staying away. Coinflip IMO.
Contain Anthony Davis and you're golden. Scrubs side-cast not going to beat you.
They really have nothing but the man that's made of glass AD. Don't get fooled by the 71 games he played last year his avg minutes was something like 28 something like that. I think it's going to be a long year for the Pelicans.
- The 3 essential players they're missing are Bogut, Ezeli and Speights. Without any rim-protectors, the defensive weaknesses of their perimeter are being exposed. Anybody can drive to the hoop at will almost. Pachulia not the same as Bogut.
- On offense there are still too many turnovers as they're getting accustomed to each other. Also nothing structural.
- I'm certain there's no panic in the team. Player-wise nor coaching-wise. Kerr and Co know that it will take some time to glue the defensive assignments. Profit by betting against them in the correct spots, it will take at least till the end of December for the kinks to get worked out.
Once they commit less turnovers on offense and fix the rim-protection on defense, they'll be a force. But I doubt they'll reach the levels defensively that last year's team had.
Today the Pacers face the Clippers with some unique side factors influencing the outcome. The Pacers play the Warriors tomorrow night, and the Clippers also play their next game against the Warriors 2 nights from now. So I expect both teams to be looking ahead to some extent, but mainly I expect that if the Clippers develop a strong double digit lead toward the end of the 3rd quarter, the Pacers will throw in the towel and save some energy for tomorrow. So I don't see the Pacers coming in through the back door to cover the spread.
The Clippers are in a poor situation because this is their first game home after a 6-game road trip that stretched all the way to the east coast. They had some nice success vs the Cavaliers and Pelicans their last 2 games, so maybe some complacency setting in to go along with an eye on the Warriors in 2 days.
Placing my bet first half on the Pacers +7.