2023 NBA Playoffs Thread

[dukelifer]

I think Miami now has an above average chance of winning the NBA Championship now. They are the favorites after tying this thing up.

They fell into the Heat trap of thinking they are not any good and now the Heat have home court advantage.

[SouthernDukie]

Miami hit their 3s tonight, unlike the last game. That made a big difference. Why did Jokic have only 4 assists? It does seem like Denver is better when he is high in assists. Is this something Miami did, or is it just the poor play by Porter and KCP?

If Miami shoots 50% from 3 three more games, they will be NBA champions. It’s just that simple. Virtually every team is unbeatable when they shoot 50% or better from the three-point line.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Between the end of the third quarter, and the entirety of the fourth quarter, the officials definitely gave Miami every benefit of the doubt.

When the Heat looked they would win by 10-12 I was going to call it inconsequential. After the Nuggets run, it was absolutely a difference maker.

[SouthernDukie]

When the Heat looked they would win by 10-12 I was going to call it inconsequential. After the Nuggets run, it was absolutely a difference maker.

Agreed. Miami was in the bonus just a little over two minutes into the fourth quarter. There was a span of several minutes where the officiating was incredibly one-sided.

An obvious missed goaltending call. Several bad out of bounds calls that all went Miami’s way. Some non-calls when Denver had the ball. It all adds up.

[FosterCoachK82]

Agreed. Miami was in the bonus just a little over two minutes into the fourth quarter. There was a span of several minutes where the officiating was incredibly one-sided.

An obvious missed goaltending call. Several bad out of bounds calls that all went Miami’s way. Some non-calls when Denver had the ball. It all adds up.

Are the games fixed? Have to wonder with so much money in it.

[SouthernDukie]

Are the games fixed? Have to wonder with so much money in it.

I’m not suggesting that at all. At least I hope that’s not the case.

[FosterCoachK82]

If Miami shoots 50% from 3 three more games, they will be NBA champions. It’s just that simple. Virtually every team is unbeatable when they shoot 50% or better from the three-point line.

Yeah, if Miami had shot 40% of 3s they would have lost by 6.

[FosterCoachK82]

I’m not suggesting that at all. At least I hope that’s not the case.

Didn’t mean to imply you were suggesting it. I just am concerned it is either happening now, or will soon.

[DukieInBrasil]

Denver played like the Celtics in the 4th. They did absolutely everything they could to give that game away. And they succeded

[sagegrouse]

Miami hit their 3s tonight, unlike the last game. That made a big difference. Why did Jokic have only 4 assists? It does seem like Denver is better when he is high in assists. Is this something Miami did, or is it just the poor play by Porter and KCP?

Because to have an "assist," the recipient of the pass has to make a shot, which Denver rarely did

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Because to have an "assist," the recipient of the pass has to make a shot, which Denver rarely did

Bizzaro world.

[rsvman]

Are the games fixed? Have to wonder with so much money in it.

If the NBA were fixed, you wouldn't be watching Miami versus Denver.

[tommy]

Terrific game. Back and forth, lots of heroes for the Heat. Great move by Spo to insert Love into the lineup and give him minutes. He didn't even shoot well, but he grabbed 10 rebounds in 22 minutes, had a couple of steals, and provided some size in there in addition to Bam. Forget about Zeller - he's terrible, but Love is still an effective player and he's a guy who knows his role on this team and plays it quite well. Without Love getting minutes, the Heat is just too small, which was part of the story of the Game One loss.

Denver looked like they were gonna blow the Heat out of the building in the first half after their slow start. But a number of their guys just faded away. It seemed like Porter and Caldwell-Pope weren't even out there when they were in fact out there. No impact on the game. And Gordon wasn't nearly as active or effective down low as he was in Game One. I think Malone will make a concerted effort to get him the ball down low in the next game.

The game really shifted when Duncan Robinson got hot in the early part of the 4th quarter. He was out of the rotation for large parts of the season, has had some DNPs even in the playoffs, but when his team needed a spark tonight, he provided it, and then that opened up driving lanes and opened up shots for other people. Butler was just OK for large segments of the game, but he really came on late as well. And Bam just plays so hard. Jokic is so big and so strong and so skilled but Bam really battles him.

With about 6 minutes to go and the Heat up 7, it was kinda the series, and the season, on the line. Had the Heat not been able to close the deal after playing so well, and blown it late, I think that would've been it. This was their chance to steal one on the road and make this a series, and they did it. Had they gone down 2-0, even with playing well at least in Game Two, it would've been over. Not beating Denver 4 of the remaining 5 games. So now it's a series.

I think Miami now has an above average chance of winning the NBA Championship now. They are the favorites after tying this thing up.

Denver opened as a 3 1/2 point favorite to win Game Three.

Are the games fixed? Have to wonder with so much money in it.

I hate when people say stuff like this. So ignorant. Why can't you just accept that a really good basketball team beat another really good basketball team tonight? That they beat what many people think is a better basketball team on this night?

This is a multi-billion dollar global business run by a lot of very, very smart people who would have no interest, financial or otherwise, in "fixing" games (or allowing them to be fixed) if that was even possible. They are making money hand over fist -- the owners and the players -- and have no reason to want to jeopardize that. Something about the golden goose. The refs? Please. Refereeing evens out over time, which it wouldn't if the games were fixed. Just stop complaining or even "raising the question" about something so absurd.

"The games are fixed" as the "answer" to a result one doesn't like or doesn't understand is just so lazy and, sorry, but it's stupid. It's part and parcel of the rot that is observable in so many places in our society. Didn't go the way I think it should've? That's suspicious! The fix is in! No it isn't. A team just lost a basketball game that it could've won had it played better down the stretch, that's all.

Yeah, if Miami had shot 40% of 3s they would have lost by 6.

And if Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin hadn't gone 2 of 23 from the field in Game One, they would've won that one too.

[LasVegas]

If the NBA were fixed, you wouldn't be watching Miami versus Denver.

That’s exactly what they want you to think!

[WillJ]

NBA players (and, to a lesser extent, referees) make a lot of money. It's hard to fix games when the principals involved are already rich.

I truly do not understand NBA players attitude towards boxing out, especially on free throws. Jeff Green let Kyle Lowry get a key rebound - leading to a Heat three - because he did not try to box out even a little bit. It really boggles my mind. My 20-year old son says "Does that offend you or something, Dad." "Yes!" I say.

[AGDukesky]

That’s exactly what they want you to think!

<head explodes>

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

To be clear, I never meant to suggest that the game was "fixed." I thought there were an unacceptable number of very poor calls, and that the Nuggets got the worse end of the deal. I think it's too bad the the exciting finish going to the final possession strongly suggests that a few calls late may have affected the outcome.

I say this as someone who complains about the calls in a Duke game maybe once every three or four years. I hate coming out of a game complaining about the refs. Makes me feel too... Terpy.

[dukelifer]

To be clear, I never meant to suggest that the game was "fixed." I thought there were an unacceptable number of very poor calls, and that the Nuggets got the worse end of the deal. I think it's too bad the the exciting finish going to the final possession strongly suggests that a few calls late may have affected the outcome.

I say this as someone who complains about the calls in a Duke game maybe once every three or four years. I hate coming out of a game complaining about the refs. Makes me feel too... Terpy.

Well there were two blows to Flips head last year that deserved complaining but in general calls tend to go both ways

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Well there were two blows to Flips head last year that deserved complaining but in general calls tend to go both ways

Absolutely true.

[FosterCoachK82]

Terrific game. Back and forth, lots of heroes for the Heat. Great move by Spo to insert Love into the lineup and give him minutes. He didn't even shoot well, but he grabbed 10 rebounds in 22 minutes, had a couple of steals, and provided some size in there in addition to Bam. Forget about Zeller - he's terrible, but Love is still an effective player and he's a guy who knows his role on this team and plays it quite well. Without Love getting minutes, the Heat is just too small, which was part of the story of the Game One loss.

Denver looked like they were gonna blow the Heat out of the building in the first half after their slow start. But a number of their guys just faded away. It seemed like Porter and Caldwell-Pope weren't even out there when they were in fact out there. No impact on the game. And Gordon wasn't nearly as active or effective down low as he was in Game One. I think Malone will make a concerted effort to get him the ball down low in the next game.

The game really shifted when Duncan Robinson got hot in the early part of the 4th quarter. He was out of the rotation for large parts of the season, has had some DNPs even in the playoffs, but when his team needed a spark tonight, he provided it, and then that opened up driving lanes and opened up shots for other people. Butler was just OK for large segments of the game, but he really came on late as well. And Bam just plays so hard. Jokic is so big and so strong and so skilled but Bam really battles him.

With about 6 minutes to go and the Heat up 7, it was kinda the series, and the season, on the line. Had the Heat not been able to close the deal after playing so well, and blown it late, I think that would've been it. This was their chance to steal one on the road and make this a series, and they did it. Had they gone down 2-0, even with playing well at least in Game Two, it would've been over. Not beating Denver 4 of the remaining 5 games. So now it's a series.



Denver opened as a 3 1/2 point favorite to win Game Three.



I hate when people say stuff like this. So ignorant. Why can't you just accept that a really good basketball team beat another really good basketball team tonight? That they beat what many people think is a better basketball team on this night?

This is a multi-billion dollar global business run by a lot of very, very smart people who would have no interest, financial or otherwise, in "fixing" games (or allowing them to be fixed) if that was even possible. They are making money hand over fist -- the owners and the players -- and have no reason to want to jeopardize that. Something about the golden goose. The refs? Please. Refereeing evens out over time, which it wouldn't if the games were fixed. Just stop complaining or even "raising the question" about something so absurd.

"The games are fixed" as the "answer" to a result one doesn't like or doesn't understand is just so lazy and, sorry, but it's stupid. It's part and parcel of the rot that is observable in so many places in our society. Didn't go the way I think it should've? That's suspicious! The fix is in! No it isn't. A team just lost a basketball game that it could've won had it played better down the stretch, that's all.



And if Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, and Caleb Martin hadn't gone 2 of 23 from the field in Game One, they would've won that one too.

Ignorant? Lazy? Stupid?
With the amount of money in sports gambling it doesn’t seem any of these things to wonder if it might have an effect on calls. It’s not like there has never been a gambling scandal in sports.
You read way too much into my brief comment. Your assumptions about what I was thinking are all things that were in your head, not mine.