The Lakers Might Be Doomed; Thoughts From Day 2!
Here are my thoughts and opinions from Day 2 in Orlando.
After the 2nd day of NBA action, it’s time to break down what we saw and get hot takes and opinions.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic won their first game in the bubble against the Brooklyn Nets, here is what I thought about their performance.
The Magic were playing the depleted Brooklyn Nets, so an easy win would be on the horizon.
The Magic played very well through 3 quarters, and the cruised to a victory.
The Magic played pretty well as they shot 53% from the field and 36% from 3. They got to the foul line a lot and played decent defense. The defense could always improve, but you can say that about every team in the bubble.
Evan Fournier played a great game as he had 24 points and 5 assists while shooting 10/15 from the field. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on 8/12 shooting. Jonathan Isaac played well as he hadn’t played since January as he racked up 16 points on 6/7 shooting.
Conclusion
I think that this was a good confidence booster for the Magic roster as they look to keep a lock on that #2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Evan Fournier and Nikola Vucevic played amazing today so the Magic are hoping that they can keep it up. Aaron Gordon was quit tonight so maybe he can start to get it going in the later games. But all in all, the Magic had a very good game 1 to build off of for the rest of their seeding games.
Brooklyn Nets
The depleted Nets lost to the Orlando Magic in their first game in Orlando. Here is what I thought about their performance.
I mean, without most of their best players, the Nets were not expected to do much in the Orlando Bubble. The Nets are currently 8th in the Eastern Conference and will likely stay there. They only have Caris Levert, Jarrett Allen, and Joe Harris at their disposal.
The Nets played pretty ok saying the limited things that they had. They were competitive in the first quarter, but things fell apart after that. Their defense was horrendous in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but their offense was still decent enough as they scored 118 points.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had a great game with 24 points on 8/12 shooting. A pleasant surprise for the Nets. Caris Levert had 17 points and 7 assists. Levert is the best player on the team and he played ok, although he was 7/17 from the field. Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris were solid, but other than that you didn’t get much else from anybody.
Conclusion
The Nets had an off year filled with injuries and bad chemistry. Their lineup in the bubble is similar to that of a G-League roster. They are going to be the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference (most likely), but they aren’t going to do anything. Nobody expected anything good from this team, and they gave us exactly that with their first performance from the bubble.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in their first bubble game. Here is what I thought of their performance.
The Grizzlies hold the 8th seed in the Western Conference and played a pivotal game against the 9th seed Portland Trail Blazers. A win would be great for Memphis, and a loss would put their 8th seed in jeopardy.
The Grizzlies came out slow in the 1st half as the Blazers offense was clicking. CJ McCollum was getting all the looks that he wanted, and Gary Trent Jr. added 14 points. The Blazers were controlling the game and they seemed to be running away with it at times.
Coming out of halftime, the Grizzlies made some adjustments. On all pick and rolls involving Damian Lillard and McCollum, they would blitz them. They would make them uncomfortable and make forced decisions. The Grizzlies took a nice lead in the 3rd quarter.
But they lost that lead almost immediately and in the 3rd quarter the game was close once again. The Grizzlies built up a lead once again, and they looked to be winning the game easily. But the Blazers came back and after big shots from Dame, CJ, and Carmelo Anthony, the Grizzlies were going to OT.
A game in which they should have very easily won, it was going to overtime. The Grizzlies allowed the Blazers to score the first 11 points in the overtime session, and they never recovered as they lost 140-135.
The game got a little chippy as there were some technicals thrown out and people were talking to each other.
I think that what happened in today’s game will be the downfall of the Grizzlies. They are such a young team with little to none playoff experience. They don’t know how to hold leads. And these finals few games before the playoffs are like playoff games. They are going to be tough. And the Grizzlies are going to have to hold leads.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 33 points to lead the Grizzlies. He was 6/15 from downtown. Ja Morant only had 2 points in the first half, but finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 11 assists. He was inefficient as he was 7/22 from the field. Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and he was 7/8 from the free throw line. Dillon Brooks was ok. Other than that nobody really gave much.
I think that the only reason the Grizzlies were in the game was because they were 38/50 from the line. They had 50 free throws. They had so many easy points. They can’t expect that from each game. The refs were calling the game much too close and not letting anybody play.
Conclusion
While the Grizzlies have some nice pieces who played well today, at the end of the day they are a young team. And young teams struggle to hold leads, generally. And when we are getting to crunch-time with these final games, the Grizzlies are going to need every win that they can get. They had the Blazers in their grasps, and they lost it. I don’t believe that the Grizzlies can hold on to the 8th seed after a devastating loss like this.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers won their first game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
The Blazers had a near perfect 1st half. They were moving the ball well, shooting it well. They were containing Ja Morant very well. Dame and CJ were knifing through the defense. Carmelo and Gary Trent were scoring. The 3 bigs were rebounding and playing defense well. It was a great 1st half.
But in the 3rd quarter the Blazers started to get cold. Memphis ramped up their defensive intensity and they got out in transition more. The Blazers turned the ball over a lot and looked very sloppy and out of sorts. The Blazers got themselves in a hole, but they managed to close the deficit before the end of the 3rd, so they were still in striking distance.
The Grizzlies again built up a lead mid-way through the 4th quarter, and it looked like the Blazers were going to lose the game. But Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum started to score and the defense was getting stops. Then Carmelo Anthony hit two big 3’s and the Blazers were in front late. But after a Memphis score and a wild sequence, we were going to OT.
The Blazers scored the first 11 points in OT and never looked back. Although they almost threw it at the end, they still won.
Again, the game got a little chippy with some trash talk and technical fouls being thrown out.
The Blazers should be very proud of their performance as they have a completely new frontcourt. Jusuf Nurkic is playing for the first time in over a year, Zach Collins is healthy again, and Hassan Whiteside is the 3rd piece to these 3 7-foot defensive specialists.
With all of this rebounding and defense, it will be very hard for teams to score down low. As long as they don’t get in foul trouble like they did today.
The Blazers stayed pretty consistent the whole game and only had one stretch where they were bad.
CJ McCollum had 33 points and 6 assists. He was great as he was hitting his shots and pushing the tempo. Damian Lillard had 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists. Lillard was attacking the rim relentlessly as the jumpshots were not falling. He was also a great facilitator. Carmelo Anthony had 21 points and 7 rebounds. Melo hit some big shots and played excellent defense. Jusuf Nurkic had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 blocks. A perfect game. He was great down low. He was rebounding and playing defense very well, and he was passing. Zach Collins had 9 rebounds and played some good minutes. Gary Trent Jr. was the surprise of the night with 17 points. He was shooting very well and he could be useful off the bench for Portland.
The lineup of Dame, CJ, Melo, Collins, and Nurkic with Trent, Hezonja, and Whiteside off the bench is very scary. The Blazers have leadership, veterans, offense, and defense with shooting in their lineup. They would be a very scary 8th seed in the Western Conference.
Conclusion
The Blazers played very well with their new lineup. Everybody played well as they came from behind for a comeback win. When the Blazers get the 8th seed, they will be a scary matchup for the Lakers. The Blazers have already beaten the Lakers this season, and they weren’t at full strength. With Nurkic, Collins, and Whiteside down low, they will be able to contend with Anthony Davis and the lob threats of Dwight Howard and Javale McGee. Dame and CJ are a bad matchup for LA without any perimeter defense. And Carmelo can stretch the floor and hit some shots.
This team has a chance to go much further than the first round of the NBA playoffs, so the Lakers might want to watch out.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics lost their first game in the bubble against the Milwaukee Bucks. Here is what I thought about their performance.
Although the Celtics were down 17-2 early in this game, they managed to come back and make it a game. But down the stretch they failed to get stops and they lost in a close battle with the MVP.
The Celtics played very well considering they were playing the best team in the NBA. The Bucks and Celtics are expected to do big things in the postseason, and many speculate that this could be a Eastern Conference Finals matchup in the playoffs.
Marcus Smart had 23 to lead the Celtics. Smart was great with his shooting and defense. You won’t get the scoring every night but you will get the defense. Jaylen Brown had 22 points, which is what you can expect from him. He was solid on both ends and will be a key piece for the Celtics in the playoffs. Gordon Hayward had 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists as he played a complete game. Hayward was great and played solid defense against Khris Middleton.
But, Jayson Tatum was awful. Tatum was 2/18 from the field and only had 5 points. Tatum was ineffective against the length of the Bucks. Tatum was on a tear before the pandemic, and the Celtics better hope that he can find his groove back.
Kemba Walker had 16 points in only 19 minutes. Walker is still working his way back from a knee injury. But he was good in the time that he played in.
Conclusion
I think that the Celtics have a lot of positives from this game. They played pretty good defense against the Bucks, but they didn’t have much of an answer for Giannis Antetokounmpo. On offense they were also pretty good. They were competitive with the best team in the league with Jayson Tatum basically not playing. If Tatum can get back to his March form, then the Celtics will be a very big threat in the Eastern Conference. But even without Tatum, the Celtics proved that they can be competitive with one of the top teams in the East.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks won their first game in the bubble against the Boston Celtics. Here is what I thought about their performance.
Even without Eric Bledsoe, the Bucks were great on both ends. They jumped out to a 17-2 lead early, and then they managed to ride their lead out for the rest of the game and they hit some big shots late in the 4th quarter and they won.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was amazing as was Khris Middleton. If these two play like this, it will be very hard for anybody to stop the Bucks. The whole Bucks defense and Wesley Matthews is general played great defense against Jayson Tatum as they rendered him useless in this game. They made him take tough shots and made it very hard for him.
The Bucks have the best defense in the league and they limited a 24 ppg scorer to 5 points.
Again, Giannis had 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. Amazing. Middleton added 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, People were worried about how he would play, but he played just fine. Brook Lopez, DiVincenzo, and Matthews all scored a bit and played great defense.
Lots of people chipped in the for the Bucks and it was a great team win.
Conclusion
While games like this are not really useful for the Bucks as they are going to be the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference, but it is good for confidence and seeing where everybody is at. The Bucks played every well and everybody played a part in the win. This is a great game to build off on as they Bucks prepare for a deep Eastern Conference run. And they should be getting Eric Bledsoe back soon, so they will be getting even better.
Sacramento Kings
The Kings lost their first game back in the bubble against the Spurs. Here is what I think of their first performance.
The Kings played badly in the first quarter, but they bounced back in the 2nd and took the lead at halftime. But they never controlled the game in the 2nd half and they lost 129-120.
Defense was obviously a problem. The Kings have never been known for defense, and tonight they were not at their best. The offense was hot and cold and they never really seemed to take control of the game. The Kings had more talent than the Spurs did, even without Marvin Bagley III, and they still lost.
Losing this game was bad as they have fallen to 12th place in the Western Conference. With this one bad loss, they are all but out of contention for the 8th seed in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox was amazing as he had 39 points and 6 assists. Fox sprained his ankle a few days ago, so it’s pretty impressive to see him playing like this. Bogdan Bogdanovic played well as he had 24 points. Buddy Hield was 2/13 from the field and he only scored 6 points. With a solid game from him the Kings could have very easily won this game.
Conclusion
The Kings tried their best against the veteran Spurs, but never really pieces together a good game and lost. De’Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic played very well, but guys like Buddy Hield and Harrison Barnes will need to play better if the Kings want any chance at making the playoffs. But this was a bad loss for the Kings and now they have fallen to 12th in the Western Conference.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs won their first game in the bubble against the Sacramento Kings. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
The Spurs started off by scoring 43 points in the first quarter. Mind you they have no LaMarcus Aldridge, Bryn Forbes or Patty Mills in this game. And they were still playing well. In the 2nd quarter they allowed the Kings to get back into the game. But they stopped the Kings momentum and after 24 minutes of great 2nd half basketball, they walked out with a crucial win.
They played solid defense against the Kings and they didn’t allow Harrison Barnes or Buddy Hield to get going at all. Sure De’Aaron Fox played well, but that was about it.
DeMar DeRozan had 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists. DeRozan was being called ‘washed,’ and he responded. DeRozan played a perfect game for the Spurs. Derrick White was the surprise of the game as he had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Similar to what DeRozan did, very similar numbers. Rudy Gay added 19 points and the Spurs played good team basketball on both ends. They were sharing the ball and hitting their shots. This could be a recipe for success for the remaining seeding games.
Conclusion
The Spurs were not taken seriously as a team that could take the 8th seed in the Western Conference, but they are only 3 games behind Memphis right now and are 10th in the Western Conference. DeMar DeRozan is the catalyst for this team, and other guys stepped up. Today is was Derrick White and Rudy Gay. The Spurs better hope that supporting guys keep playing well and that the Spurs brand of team basketball can will them to the playoffs.
Phoenix Suns
The Suns won their first game against the Wizards. Here is what I think about their first performance.
The Suns cruised to a victory against the depleted Wizards. Like the Nets, the Wizards are missing lots of key players and aren’t expected to do much in the bubble. The Suns were without Kelly Oubre Jr. tonight, but it didn’t matter as the Suns ran circles around the Wizards. The offense was clicking and the Suns really looked good.
Devin Booker was good as usual as he had 27 points and 5 rebounds. Deandre Ayton was great as he had 24 points and 12 rebounds. 4 other guys scored in double figures for the Suns, so it was a good day.
Conclusion
The Suns got an easy win and a boost to their confidence. Booker and Ayton were great and they had some support as well. Kelly Oubre Jr. will be back soon so the Suns will be even better. The Suns are currently 27-39 and 13th in the Western Conference. They are 5 games back from the 8th seeded Memphis Grizzlies. If the Suns can keep up this level of play, they might make things interesting as to who gets the final spot in the Western Conference.
Washington Wizards
The Wizards lost their first game to the Phoenix Suns. Here is what I thought about their performance.
Without Bradley Beal, John wall, and David Bertans – the Wizards were not expected to do much in the bubble. And they didn’t play well against the Suns as they allowed the Suns to do whatever they wanted. The offense was decent, but you’re doing anywhere with that defense.
Rui Hachimura had a good game with 21 points and 8 rebounds. Jerome Robinson had 20 points. A few other guys played ok, but it was nothing eye-popping.
Conclusion
With a depleted roster, the Wizards have almost no shot of making the playoffs. They are not expected to do much, but they will do the best with what they can. And next year it’s back to the drawing board.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets won their first game against the Mavericks. Here is what I thought about their first performance.
Now me personally, I don’t like the small ball lineup that the Rockets have. Sure it might work but they will get exposed in the playoffs for lack of size. And here they were playing the Dallas Mavericks with Kristaps Porzingis. This should have been a defensive nightmare. And it was. Only…
The Rockets were very good at stripping the ball from driving Mavericks players. I saw at least 6-7 strips. They were also very aggressive on offense. Lots of shooting and ball movement, quick passes and decisions. The defense can use some perfecting, but the Rockets did play well. The high-scoring game obviously helped.
James Harden had 49 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists with 3 blocks and 3 steals. Amazing. Russell Westbrook had 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. Another amazing game. 5 other guys scored in double figures. The Rockets were benefiting from the no-defense game. It was a track meet type game, and the Rockets have some heavy-hitters on offense. I just worry that this type of basketball might be ineffective come playoff time.
Conclusion
Nonetheless, the Rockets proved that they can beat a team with size like the Mavericks. While Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic had great days, Westbrook and Harden matched them step for step all the way. The Rockets small ball lineup might be viewed as bad, but they have proved it is effective against good teams. The only question is… can it work in the playoffs?
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks lost their first game to the Houston Rockets. Here is what I think about their first performance.
The Mavericks were at a huge advantage coming into this game with 7 foot unicorn Kristaps Porzingis. Without a big-body to contend with him, Porzingis would be having a night, and he did. As did Luka Doncic and Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway. But the problem for the Mavericks was not offense, it was defense.
The Rockets continually got into the paint with little resistance. Kristaps Porzingis was on the perimeter, instead of inside where he could have been blocking shots. The Mavs allowed to many easy scores at the rim and got blown by a lot. The perimeter defense has to change for the better otherwise it will be a problem come playoff time.
Kristaps Porzingis had 39 points and 16 rebounds. He did all he could against the smaller Rockets. Luka Doncic had 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke had 24+ points.
Seth Curry struggled as did Delon Wright. Without Jalen Brunson, these two backup guards will need to play better in order for the Mavs to be successful.
Conclusion
The bottom line for the Mavericks is that they need better effort on defense. 150+ points in any game is unacceptable. Offensively they were fine and will be with Luka Doncic at the helm. But without a decent defense, they will fall out of the playoffs quickly.
What are you thoughts/opinions from Day 2 in Orlando. Leave a comment down below. Later today will be the Day 3 recap from Orlando, so stay tuned!
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Blazers will win the championship!!