Game Day: Suns vs Mavs, WCSF Game 1, Mon 05/02/22

[Superbone]

This Nick Wright guy is a complete idiot. I can't stand his nasal voice and ridiculous takes. He claims to be the father of Luka Doncic. Something is seriously wrong with him. His takes are the worst.

I refuse to listen to him any more.

Listen to who?

► Show Spoiler

Nick Wright.

I think you missed my point.

Ah, no wonder it was so obvious. I was definitely confused. LOL.

The worst part is I typed out his name in response. I will NEVER do that again. You have my promise. I went back and added spoilers around it. I forgot his name already. Wait, who are we talking about? No, don't tell me.

[Flagrant Fowl]

I honestly had never heard of this guy until this week, but then again I only watch games and not the studio productions with exception to Inside the NBA.

I may in the minority, but i find inside the NBA terrible as well, mostly Shaq.

I find their antics entertaining. It's hard to find wholesome comedy on TV these days and the producers set up the 4 guys really well.

Shaq can be annoying when he tries to be an analyst. He obviously knows the game at a high level, but he clearly doesn't watch the league much besides whatever games are being played on TNT that night.

This is how I feel.. great entertainment but pretty lacking in analysis. The B crew with Wade and Candice Parker is much better from an analysis standpoint. Draymond will be a good addition in time.

Agreed on both, but I think Draymond reaches for Hot Takes too often. His take about Ingram and CJ being the best two players in the Suns/Pels series after Booker went out is a good example.

Candice Parker is my favorite analyst among both crews, but I don't know how they're going to replace Barkley or Shaq. Barkley's self humility is one of a kind. People underestimate his ability to be the butt of everyone's joke on national TV every week. I don't think Draymond can immediately replicate that, but maybe he can develop it after some years of experience.

While Shaq is a bad analyst, he's also quite funny and his best skill of being quiet is underrated. That sounds like a dig on him, but Ernie must talk since he's the host and Barkley is always going to be the next guy to put a word in. It took a while for him to get there, but now Shaq does a good job of listening and getting in his jabs in sync with the other guys. He's a great glue guy in that crew, and I think only TMac has been close to replicating Shaq's effectiveness.

[Split T]

It seems like Green would replace Barkley in time…He’d pretty easily become the smartest basketball mind on the crew and he can be funny, but Barkley is the best guy on the set and it’ll be a downgrade. Shaq has gotten better, I didn’t love him at first, but he’s grown on me a bit.

[Split T]

Listening to the Lowe Post and Tim McMahon, Dallas reporter, is talking up how the Mavs playing Finney-Smith at the 5 to close the game worked and stopped Ayton. It’s funny to me how people just watch from their teams perspective. I get it as a fan, but as a reporter, he should realize the suns were just running clock and not looking to take advantage of mismatches. There was literally a play when Ayton had Brunson on him and CP3 chose to dribble away and run more clock.

[Shabazz]

We really just missed some bunnies last night. If we hit 1/3 of those, the dialogue today is very different.

[Superbone]

Listening to the Lowe Post and Tim McMahon, Dallas reporter, is talking up how the Mavs playing Finney-Smith at the 5 to close the game worked and stopped Ayton. It’s funny to me how people just watch from their teams perspective. I get it as a fan, but as a reporter, he should realize the suns were just running clock and not looking to take advantage of mismatches. There was literally a play when Ayton had Brunson on him and CP3 chose to dribble away and run more clock.

LOL. That's rich. Finney-Smith was the answer on Ayton, eh? OK, start him on him in Game 2 and see what happens. Wow, glad we're not on the other end grasping at straws. I see this series going 5 games max but I could be wrong.

[Flagrant Fowl]

We really just missed some bunnies last night. If we hit 1/3 of those, the dialogue today is very different.

Yep, both Ayton and Booker. OTOH, Crowder, Payne and Cam all hit their 3's at a better clip than the last series.

[iLLmatic]

Listening to the Lowe Post and Tim McMahon, Dallas reporter, is talking up how the Mavs playing Finney-Smith at the 5 to close the game worked and stopped Ayton. It’s funny to me how people just watch from their teams perspective. I get it as a fan, but as a reporter, he should realize the suns were just running clock and not looking to take advantage of mismatches. There was literally a play when Ayton had Brunson on him and CP3 chose to dribble away and run more clock.

LOL. That's rich. Finney-Smith was the answer on Ayton, eh? OK, start him on him in Game 2 and see what happens. Wow, glad we're not on the other end grasping at straws. I see this series going 5 games max but I could be wrong.

We're getting a week off until anxiety and stress comes back again. I'm really not looking forward to round 3

[TOO]

I honestly had never heard of this guy until this week, but then again I only watch games and not the studio productions with exception to Inside the NBA.

I may in the minority, but i find inside the NBA terrible as well, mostly Shaq.

I find their antics entertaining. It's hard to find wholesome comedy on TV these days and the producers set up the 4 guys really well.

Shaq can be annoying when he tries to be an analyst. He obviously knows the game at a high level, but he clearly doesn't watch the league much besides whatever games are being played on TNT that night.

Not even sure he watches those games either.

[Indy]

I honestly had never heard of this guy until this week, but then again I only watch games and not the studio productions with exception to Inside the NBA.

I may in the minority, but i find inside the NBA terrible as well, mostly Shaq.

I find their antics entertaining. It's hard to find wholesome comedy on TV these days and the producers set up the 4 guys really well.

Shaq can be annoying when he tries to be an analyst. He obviously knows the game at a high level, but he clearly doesn't watch the league much besides whatever games are being played on TNT that night.

This is how I feel.. great entertainment but pretty lacking in analysis. The B crew with Wade and Candice Parker is much better from an analysis standpoint. Draymond will be a good addition in time.

I would be 100x more likely to watch that show with Parker, Wade and Green. They all know basketball so much better than Shaq, Barkley and Kenny.

[Indy]

I honestly had never heard of this guy until this week, but then again I only watch games and not the studio productions with exception to Inside the NBA.

I may in the minority, but i find inside the NBA terrible as well, mostly Shaq.

I find their antics entertaining. It's hard to find wholesome comedy on TV these days and the producers set up the 4 guys really well.

Shaq can be annoying when he tries to be an analyst. He obviously knows the game at a high level, but he clearly doesn't watch the league much besides whatever games are being played on TNT that night.

Not even sure he watches those games either.

"He is around the studio when the games are being shown" might be the best way to put it.

[specialsauce]

I love how committed Saucey is to his hate of Jokic. Never change, sauce.

Saucy is like a pit bull. Once he gloms onto a guy, he doesn't let go. See Nader. I'd love to see his exchange with Nuggets fans.

I don’t have exchanges with Nuggets fans. They’re beneath me

[specialsauce]

I'm sure a lot of people won't agree with me, but Giannis is a Center and he played the position for pretty much this whole season. It's only now with Lopez back that he's not the designated Center. So with that..

I don't see a huge gap between players within the same tier.

Giannis
---
Jokic
Embiid
---
Ayton
Adebayo
Gobert
KAT
Davis
---
Allen
Valanciunas
Vucevic
Sabonis

I agree with everything you said, except these points:
1) I think Giannis is in the same tier with Jokic and Embiid
2) I don't see Davis or Sabonis as centers--I know they probably spent as much time at C as PF, but they just don't feel like Centers to me.

Really good tier breakdown.

Agree but put jokic in the tier with DA/Gobert/etc. he’s like KAT, one way excellence. Giannis and Embiid are two way players

DA is a two way player. I know we are harsh on him at times, but he has been awesome on defense and his midrange J gives him a scary go to on offense. On that note of two way players, I still put him behind Embiid and Giannis.

My post wasn’t to say that DA isn’t a two way player. He definitely is. But he’s definitely a tier below Embiid and Giannis.

It’s more to say that KAT and Jokic are one in the same…elite offensively (at least in the regular season) and terrible defensively. One is just sexier to prop up than the other.

[Mori Chu]

I honestly had never heard of this guy until this week, but then again I only watch games and not the studio productions with exception to Inside the NBA.

I may in the minority, but i find inside the NBA terrible as well, mostly Shaq.

I find their antics entertaining. It's hard to find wholesome comedy on TV these days and the producers set up the 4 guys really well.

Shaq can be annoying when he tries to be an analyst. He obviously knows the game at a high level, but he clearly doesn't watch the league much besides whatever games are being played on TNT that night.

This is how I feel.. great entertainment but pretty lacking in analysis. The B crew with Wade and Candice Parker is much better from an analysis standpoint. Draymond will be a good addition in time.

I would be 100x more likely to watch that show with Parker, Wade and Green. They all know basketball so much better than Shaq, Barkley and Kenny.

I think Kenny knows what he's talking about. I think Shaq really grates on me, still after all these years. He's gotten less annoying over time, but overall I still think he's a net negative on the show and I wish he weren't there. I have a soft spot for Barkley. He's lazy and doesn't really pay enough attention to know what he's talking about, but I just love his personality and love having him there. I would love to see them swap out Shaq for Parker. That would be a HUGE upgrade IMO. But keep the others.