NBA Playoffs 2022

[UrinalCake]

Jose Alverado is showing the world why ACC fans hated him so much. He's actually making Chris Paul look like only the second biggest punk playing point guard on the court.

[JetpackJesus]

Jose Alverado is showing the world why ACC fans hated him so much. He's actually making Chris Paul look like only the second biggest punk playing point guard on the court.

I really like Alverado. He's so fast and pesky in a good way.

Also, CP3 earned that F1. I didn't know he could hit guys in not their nuts.

[JetpackJesus]

I really like Alverado. He's so fast and pesky in a good way.

Also, CP3 earned that F1. I didn't know he could hit guys in not their nuts.

Can confirm that I really like Alvarado.

[PensDevil]

Amazing how much more likable Alverado is when he plays for a team I’m pulling for. Maybe he studies film of the great Patrick Davidson…

[HayYou]

How dare you compare me to Danny Kaye! ��

Great movie. Honestly, Kaye is under appreciated.

[JasonEvans]

Best Dukie in the playoffs so far, Ingram or Tatum?

Look at the stats and try to pick one:

Player A - 29.8ppg, 6.8rpg, 5.0apg, 51.2 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 87.9 FT%, 0.5spg, 0.5bpg, 3.0 TOpg
Player B - 29.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 8.0apg, 42.9 FG%, 36.0 3FG%, 86.7 FT%, 2.3spg, 1.0bpg, 4.7 TOpg

One is shooting much better, the other has been better on defense.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Best Dukie in the playoffs so far, Ingram or Tatum?

Look at the stats and try to pick one:

Player A - 29.8ppg, 6.8rpg, 5.0apg, 51.2 FG%, 50.0 3FG%, 87.9 FT%, 0.5spg, 0.5bpg, 3.0 TOpg
Player B - 29.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 8.0apg, 42.9 FG%, 36.0 3FG%, 86.7 FT%, 2.3spg, 1.0bpg, 4.7 TOpg

One is shooting much better, the other has been better on defense.

Player B gotta be Tatum with those incredible assist numbers (which comes with pretty awful TO numbers too).

Tatum and Ingram have been on fire in the second half of the season and this has carried into the playoffs. Tatum is in one of the best situations: great second, third, and fourth banana players, amazing defense, great young coach, and one of the best fan bases around .

Ingram is leading these Pelicans to the playoffs and they are missing their most talented player. Even if Zion comes back, I hope Ingram is the defacto leader. It may not be his team, but he is healthy, likable, and fits well into this team. The only downside is the Pelicans are pretty terrible defensively, especially with their Zion/Ingram/McCullum core.

[jimsumner]

Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Gary Trent and Grayson Allen all have at least one 20-point game in the 2022 NBA playoffs and we're only in the first round.

[SouthernDukie]

I think the Celtics finish off the Nets tonight. I believe the last game broke the will of Brooklyn.

[Steven43]

Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Gary Trent and Grayson Allen all have at least one 20-point game in the 2022 NBA playoffs and we're only in the first round.

That’s a “Wow”!

[DoubleBlue]

I was hoping to see Ben Simmons make his Nets debut tonight in Game 4 vs Boston, but it seems he has been ruled out due to continued back tightness. The media circus will have to wait until next season unless the Nets somehow extend the series. The jury is still out as to who got the better deal with the Harden trade.

[ice-9]

The only downside is the Pelicans are pretty terrible defensively, especially with their Zion/Ingram/McCullum core.

That is not strictly true.

Zion was a >70th percentile defender in EPM last season. He got unfairly criticised for his defence.

Ingram was a terrible defender last season. I don’t remember his percentile but it was shockingly low. This season however he’s 72nd percentile, a plus defender and very solid given his elite offence.

In fact only McCollum is a poor defender at 15th percentile in defensive epm. But to some degree Herbert Jones (92nd) covers that shortcoming.

[JasonEvans]

But to some degree Herbert Jones (92nd) covers that shortcoming.

A stunningly good 2nd round draft pick by the Pels. I think he is a future NBA DPOY. Gonna be interesting to see how the Pels use Jones and Zion together next year. I truly think they should consider moving Valanciunas as I think Zion as a small ball 5 is the Pels future... either that or playing Zion with a 5 who floats to the perimeter a lot, like a Brook Lopez type.

[flyingdutchdevil]

That is not strictly true.

Zion was a >70th percentile defender in EPM last season. He got unfairly criticised for his defence.

Ingram was a terrible defender last season. I don’t remember his percentile but it was shockingly low. This season however he’s 72nd percentile, a plus defender and very solid given his elite offence.

In fact only McCollum is a poor defender at 15th percentile in defensive epm. But to some degree Herbert Jones (92nd) covers that shortcoming.

Last year, Zion ranked 379 out of 540 NBA players in defensive efficiency. Not good.

This year, Brandon Ingram ranks 451 out of 605 NBA players in defensive efficiency. Again, not good. McCollum ranked 527.

So yeah, I stand by my statement. Those three are a bad defensive trio.

If you want good Duke defense, look no further than Jayson Tatum, who is ranked 48 out of 605.

[robed deity]

A stunningly good 2nd round draft pick by the Pels. I think he is a future NBA DPOY. Gonna be interesting to see how the Pels use Jones and Zion together next year. I truly think they should consider moving Valanciunas as I think Zion as a small ball 5 is the Pels future... either that or playing Zion with a 5 who floats to the perimeter a lot, like a Brook Lopez type.

He had a couple of blocks on 3s yesterday that reminded me of maybe the most amazing play I've ever seen in a college game.

[cato]

A stunningly good 2nd round draft pick by the Pels. I think he is a future NBA DPOY. Gonna be interesting to see how the Pels use Jones and Zion together next year. I truly think they should consider moving Valanciunas as I think Zion as a small ball 5 is the Pels future... either that or playing Zion with a 5 who floats to the perimeter a lot, like a Brook Lopez type.

Zion at the 5 sounds great, but you better be using invisible ink if you are penciling him in for a full NBA season, let alone playoffs.

This is where GMs make their fortunes. How do you plan around someone like Zion, who could either be the shoulders on which you build a champion or a talent that never panned out?

Answer: get a Duke guy who is going to play into the conversation either way.

[ice-9]

Last year, Zion ranked 379 out of 540 NBA players in defensive efficiency. Not good.

This year, Brandon Ingram ranks 451 out of 605 NBA players in defensive efficiency. Again, not good. McCollum ranked 527.

So yeah, I stand by my statement. Those three are a bad defensive trio.

If you want good Duke defense, look no further than Jayson Tatum, who is ranked 48 out of 605.

I guess different stats say different things.

https://swarmandsting.com/2013/03/12...ced-statistic/

It’s a team-reliant stat that, honestly, should have no bearing at all on determining how good a player is defensively.

https://deadspin.com/let-s-try-to-un...ati-1848394332

Defensive player rating would have us believe that Nikola Jokić is a better defender than Joel Embiid, and anyone with a pulse knows that isn’t true. Jokić isn’t a total liability defensively, but he’s no Embiid.

Defence is notoriously difficult to quantify, no single metric will accurately rank players. But if you must go with a single metric, basketball minds I trust tell me defensive epm is better than most and certainly better than defensive rating.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I guess different stats say different things.

https://swarmandsting.com/2013/03/12...ced-statistic/



https://deadspin.com/let-s-try-to-un...ati-1848394332



Defence is notoriously difficult to quantify, no single metric will accurately rank players. But if you must go with a single metric, basketball minds I trust tell me defensive epm is better than most and certainly better than defensive rating.

Or we can go with everyone's favorite stats guru, Silver's fivethirtyeight.

https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com...nd&season=2022

They use RAPTOR, a proprietary metric. The list includes the top 250 players in minutes. The metric has Harden at 204 in overall defensive RAPTOR, so I feel it's at least a somewhat reliable metric. Amongst the 250 players, Ingram is 177 and McCollum 156 in overall defensive RAPTOR (it's not a good thing if Ingram is ranked worse than McCollum on D). Last year, Zion was 159 amongst 250.

Like you said, different stats say different things.

[ice-9]

You could have opened with raptor instead of defensive ratings, universally derided as a bad stat, why didn't you? Are you aware that raptor is also based on plus minus?

Ok so what's a better plus minus metric, epm or raptor?

https://dunksandthrees.com/blog/metric-comparison

EPM and RPM, which were the only metrics that used RAPM directly with a Bayesian prior, consistently performed the best among all metrics, with EPM taking the lead overall. RAPTOR was the clear third-place metric with the revamped BPM putting the pressure on in fourth place.

[ice-9]

The announcer said something interesting in the beginning of the Celtics Nets game: Marcus Smart is the shortest Celtics player on the floor and he’s taller than the 3 out 5 players on the Nets. This Nets team is simply too short. On offence, Celtics actions end up with Tatum or Brown vs Curry, Mills, Dragic, Irving or Brown. Too easy for the Celtics.

Nets really miss a wing like Harris or Harden. Even Simmons would have helped.