Basketball Megathread
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AfterHours
Gender: Male
Location: The Zone
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AfterHours
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Location: The Zone
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CA Dreamin
Gender: Male
Location: LA 
- #673
- Posted: 05/10/2026 21:38
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| CA Dreamin wrote: | | Nevertheless, it's cool to see the 76ers advance. Never saw it coming. I haven't watched an NBA game on live TV since gm 7 of the Finals last year, but maybe I'll lift my NBA embargo and catch a game against the Knicks...I won't be available to watch a game in this series until Game 4 due to my current busy stretch on the job |
And by the time my busy stretch ended and I got today off, the Sixers were down 0-3. So I didn't see the point in watching today, and they're down by 30. So my NBA embargo will not be lifted during these playoffs. Too bad the Sixers went down with a whimper, but nobody expected a deep run. It was great to take down the Celtics, but we shouldn't have even won that series. I also see the Lakers are getting whooped. So no Lakers and no Celtics beyond this point is totally fine by me! And here's hoping everyone on the remaining teams stay healthy.
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Repo
BeA Sunflower
Location: Forest Park
- #674
- Posted: 05/11/2026 13:33
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| CA Dreamin wrote: | | CA Dreamin wrote: | | Nevertheless, it's cool to see the 76ers advance. Never saw it coming. I haven't watched an NBA game on live TV since gm 7 of the Finals last year, but maybe I'll lift my NBA embargo and catch a game against the Knicks...I won't be available to watch a game in this series until Game 4 due to my current busy stretch on the job |
And by the time my busy stretch ended and I got today off, the Sixers were down 0-3. So I didn't see the point in watching today, and they're down by 30. So my NBA embargo will not be lifted during these playoffs. Too bad the Sixers went down with a whimper, but nobody expected a deep run. It was great to take down the Celtics, but we shouldn't have even won that series. I also see the Lakers are getting whooped. So no Lakers and no Celtics beyond this point is totally fine by me! And here's hoping everyone on the remaining teams stay healthy. |
You guys spent EVERYTHING coming back from an historic 3-1 deficit against my Celtics. You had nothing left for game 1 against the Knicks which was only 2 days later. And then Embiid was just spent for game 2 and even had to sit out. Still a total success in 76-ers franchise history though. It had been ages since the 76-ers had beat the Celtics in a series (probably since before you were born, CA Dreamin!), and its the FIRST time the Celtics were beat when up 3-1. Not a bad year for you guys at all! Build around Maxey & Edgecomb and u guys when be viable contenders for years to come! 😊
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AfterHours
Gender: Male
Location: The Zone
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AfterHours
Gender: Male
Location: The Zone
- #676
- Posted: 05/19/2026 21:32
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Growing up watching most of MJ’s career in real time (including peak 80s athleticism MJ through 1993 three peat and his whole second three peat…), I had never until now been all that close to as stunned as I was by Jordan as I am starting to become with Wemby
Don’t get me wrong, he has plenty of milestones to reach before he can be compared to top 20 all time, top 10 all time, let alone MJ, but the possibility is hanging there if he takes it and runs with it, stays healthy and focused and maintains his competitive fire and wants to be the best, win championships and just doesn’t let up
Wemby is now building his case as the most dominant player since early 2000s Shaq
And he is the first player that I feel — no hyperbole, not an insane stretch of the imagination — that could possibly reach MJs two-way impact, control and dominance over the outcome of whole games, since … MJ … and actually approach GOAT status if he starts knocking off some championships and Finals MVPs …
You could possibly argue peak Shaq got nearly there (but the holes in his game held him back from the inevitability over all phases that Jordan had no matter the opponents game plan), and peak Olajuwon perhaps even closer, but MJ could control a whole game at each level of the court, as necessary, including full court press, not to mention the sheer will, the fire and demand to win, never letting up, the leadership of his teammates with all the intangibles and work ethic to sustain it
You could more naturally compare and argue Kobe approached MJ, but he was never the complete defensive player MJ was and he didn’t have his athleticism (84-93 Jordan) nor physical tools, and therefore he had to force the issue more in order to dominate, whereas it came more naturally in the flow of the game to Jordan. In essence Kobe had to put forth more moves, counters, fakes, to create separation and space, and had a harder time getting around his opponents, than Jordan; Jordan’s quickness and first step were decisive through his athletic prime the likes of which may never be seen again for a 6 foot 6 player; Kobe has perhaps a wider mid-range skill set than even Jordan but also had to apply it more to get his shots off. Furthermore, Jordan’s absurd hand size allowed him to do things around the basket Kobe could simply not follow despite his resourcefulness and best efforts. In short, Kobe approached and one can maybe make an offensive argument, but was never quite the complete defensive package peak Jordan was (even if a very very good perimeter defender).
LeBron also approached his overall impact around 2012-2014 Miami period (and sporadically from there such as 2016 Finals, 2018 playoffs) — but particularly Miami where he was at his peak defensively, but this was relatively short lived and inconsistent two-way player thereafter, and sort of similar to Shaq, has holes in his game that good defensive teams can counter him with and mitigate his dominance and ultimate control over the outcome of a game, something that could never really be done to Jordan during his 87-98 run. Those holes being off-ball movement to bend and keep the defense on its heels throughout the game, 37% shooter from outside the restricted area (so teams such as 07 Spurs and 11 Dallas would force him to shoot by keeping bigger bodies in the paint), and his FT shooting which isn’t poor but also not great and has been unreliable in he clutch where he seems to shy away from taking contested shots and driving to the basket seemingly for fear of having to shoot FTs.
Jokic’s peak 6 year impact has also approached Jordan and he may have even surpassed him as the greatest offensive player ever but, again, his holes do not give him quite the same dominance two ways as a player that can more conclusively determine the outcome of a game. This obviously being that he is a solid defensive player overall but not a good rim protector, which gives athletic teams that can get to the hole a way to counter Jokic’s offensive by continuously attacking him, and if they are also physical and disruptive of him in defending him, Jokic’s lack of athleticism starts to become a (mild) weakness in that he has a harder time persisting, getting around or slithering through the defense and to his spots for his most efficient shots, with all the added effort offensively and getting attacked on defense taking its toll over the course of a game/series.
Wemby is the first player I’ve seen since that appears to have the whole package MJ had (a totally different player of course, but his dominance offense and defense combined is similar, and he appears to have similar intangibles so far…), except there is cause for concern with his durability, body, sustained athletic peak…
His defense is probably the most impactful across the floor since at least peak Olajuwon. And the eye test tells me it could already go as far back as Russell, though it’s hard to truly compare with the rules and era differences…
While his potential has been clear all year and I often thought he may already be the best overall player in the NBA, the main thing that has been holding him back is his availability and that he needs to increase his minutes on the floor to impact his team a bit more at the highest levels (even if it was already obvious on a per minute basis). The playoffs, the full games he has played, peaking last night, have laid the gauntlet down and it is awesome to see. Can he and the Spurs take out the juggernaut OKC Thunder?
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Last edited by AfterHours on 05/20/2026 17:41; edited 2 times in total
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AfterHours
Gender: Male
Location: The Zone
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- #678
- Posted: 05/20/2026 09:41
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That OKC Spurs game was just about the best basketball I've ever watched live. It certainly ranks somewhere in the all time best playoff games. The only thing that could've improved it was SGA hitting several cool looking tough middies, but I guess then it wouldn't be 2OT.
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2020s
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AfterHours
Gender: Male
Location: The Zone
- #679
- Posted: 05/20/2026 17:53
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| LedZep wrote: | | That OKC Spurs game was just about the best basketball I've ever watched live. It certainly ranks somewhere in the all time best playoff games. The only thing that could've improved it was SGA hitting several cool looking tough middies, but I guess then it wouldn't be 2OT. |
Me too, I want to see SGA at his best too, simultaneously to Wemby absolutely bringing it
Wemby doing this against one of the most complete defensive teams in NBA history only adds to its aura
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Best Classical
Best Films
Best Paintings
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junodog4
Future Grumpy Old Man
Gender: Male
Location: Calgary 
- #680
- Posted: 05/24/2026 01:16
- Post subject:
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| AfterHours wrote: | Growing up watching most of MJ’s career in real time (including peak 80s athleticism MJ through 1993 three peat and his whole second three peat…), I had never until now been all that close to as stunned as I was by Jordan as I am starting to become with Wemby
Don’t get me wrong, he has plenty of milestones to reach before he can be compared to top 20 all time, top 10 all time, let alone MJ, but the possibility is hanging there if he takes it and runs with it, stays healthy and focused and maintains his competitive fire and wants to be the best, win championships and just doesn’t let up
Wemby is now building his case as the most dominant player since early 2000s Shaq
And he is the first player that I feel — no hyperbole, not an insane stretch of the imagination — that could possibly reach MJs two-way impact, control and dominance over the outcome of whole games, since … MJ … and actually approach GOAT status if he starts knocking off some championships and Finals MVPs …
You could possibly argue peak Shaq got nearly there (but the holes in his game held him back from the inevitability over all phases that Jordan had no matter the opponents game plan), and peak Olajuwon perhaps even closer, but MJ could control a whole game at each level of the court, as necessary, including full court press, not to mention the sheer will, the fire and demand to win, never letting up, the leadership of his teammates with all the intangibles and work ethic to sustain it
You could more naturally compare and argue Kobe approached MJ, but he was never the complete defensive player MJ was and he didn’t have his athleticism (84-93 Jordan) nor physical tools, and therefore he had to force the issue more in order to dominate, whereas it came more naturally in the flow of the game to Jordan. In essence Kobe had to put forth more moves, counters, fakes, to create separation and space, and had a harder time getting around his opponents, than Jordan; Jordan’s quickness and first step were decisive through his athletic prime the likes of which may never be seen again for a 6 foot 6 player; Kobe has perhaps a wider mid-range skill set than even Jordan but also had to apply it more to get his shots off. Furthermore, Jordan’s absurd hand size allowed him to do things around the basket Kobe could simply not follow despite his resourcefulness and best efforts. In short, Kobe approached and one can maybe make an offensive argument, but was never quite the complete defensive package peak Jordan was (even if a very very good perimeter defender).
LeBron also approached his overall impact around 2012-2014 Miami period (and sporadically from there such as 2016 Finals, 2018 playoffs) — but particularly Miami where he was at his peak defensively, but this was relatively short lived and inconsistent two-way player thereafter, and sort of similar to Shaq, has holes in his game that good defensive teams can counter him with and mitigate his dominance and ultimate control over the outcome of a game, something that could never really be done to Jordan during his 87-98 run. Those holes being off-ball movement to bend and keep the defense on its heels throughout the game, 37% shooter from outside the restricted area (so teams such as 07 Spurs and 11 Dallas would force him to shoot by keeping bigger bodies in the paint), and his FT shooting which isn’t poor but also not great and has been unreliable in he clutch where he seems to shy away from taking contested shots and driving to the basket seemingly for fear of having to shoot FTs.
Jokic’s peak 6 year impact has also approached Jordan and he may have even surpassed him as the greatest offensive player ever but, again, his holes do not give him quite the same dominance two ways as a player that can more conclusively determine the outcome of a game. This obviously being that he is a solid defensive player overall but not a good rim protector, which gives athletic teams that can get to the hole a way to counter Jokic’s offensive by continuously attacking him, and if they are also physical and disruptive of him in defending him, Jokic’s lack of athleticism starts to become a (mild) weakness in that he has a harder time persisting, getting around or slithering through the defense and to his spots for his most efficient shots, with all the added effort offensively and getting attacked on defense taking its toll over the course of a game/series.
Wemby is the first player I’ve seen since that appears to have the whole package MJ had (a totally different player of course, but his dominance offense and defense combined is similar, and he appears to have similar intangibles so far…), except there is cause for concern with his durability, body, sustained athletic peak…
His defense is probably the most impactful across the floor since at least peak Olajuwon. And the eye test tells me it could already go as far back as Russell, though it’s hard to truly compare with the rules and era differences…
While his potential has been clear all year and I often thought he may already be the best overall player in the NBA, the main thing that has been holding him back is his availability and that he needs to increase his minutes on the floor to impact his team a bit more at the highest levels (even if it was already obvious on a per minute basis). The playoffs, the full games he has played, peaking last night, have laid the gauntlet down and it is awesome to see. Can he and the Spurs take out the juggernaut OKC Thunder? |
100%. I don't think this is the Spurs year, but I think the finals will feature either SA or OKC for several years. Wemby (if he stays healthy) could have a Mt. Rushmore career.
Just another comparison - I like OKC, but I am not a fan of how much Hartenstein has been clutching and grabbing Wemby, It reminds me of 'Jordan rules' that the Pistons employed. Jordan was so scary early that the Pistons had to employ dubious tactics to beat him, just like what OKC is doing now. Wemby (and maybe the refs) will figure it out long term... but I'm not a fan of what Hartenstein is doing right now in the series.
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Finnegan was super bad-ass.
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