The Bulgarian Brothers – A College Hoops 2K8 & NBA 2K20 Dynasty

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Re: Player Spotlight: Shaddean Christopher

I loved that writeup. Incredible stuff!

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2023 March Madness: Sweet 16 Update

Upset Watch

• #10 Boston College 83 - #3 Cincinnati 81. Boston College’s Leighton Byerson (SG, 90 ovr) scored 25 points and led the underdogs to a win in a very tight game.
• #9 Louisville 79 - #5 Arizona 73. The Cardinals make it to the Elite 8 with a good win over Arizona. Shawan Guzman (SF, 87 ovr) played the entire game for Arizona, but couldn’t will them to a win.
• #5 Villanova 98 - #1 Iowa 55. Many people were treating the Hawkeyes like frauds, and they sure looked like frauds in this game. The Wildcats scored whenever they wanted to in the second half and saw three players (PG Von Atkinson, PF Dean Blount, and C Diamond Barisic) score 20+ points.
• #3 Kansas 87 - #2 Oregon 76. Kansas’ starting backcourt only took a single shot (making it) the entire game, but their frontcourt showed up to lead them to a victory, especially Lou Park (C, 86 ovr) and his 29 points.

Key Performances

• Many people were excited for the USC vs Duke matchup thanks to all the NBA talent in the game. Unfortunately, it was a dud. An exciting first half gave way to a 53-24 second half. Duke had 5 players score double digits, include Marcello Barber (PF, 89 ovr) scoring 21 and grabbing 8 rebounds. Raynell Ere (C, 86 ovr) led all scorers with 24 in the loss. He was only 5-17 from the field, but made 12 free throws.
• Cal Poly’s Cinderella run came to an end as Syracuse beat them. Ramon Mouton (SG, 87) had a great game, scoring 32 points and adding 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
• C.W. Wente (PG, 88 ovr) missed last game for the Spartans, but came back and scored 28 points to lead Michigan State to an 86-76 win over Pittsburgh.

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2023 March Madness: Elite 8 Update

Key Performances

• 7 foot small forward Bobby Drake is an intriguing NBA prospect and got people’s attention by scoring 24 points in a close loss to the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils.
• Kansas-Villanova was an awesome game, with the Jayhawks eking out a 1 point win despite no players scoring more than 18 for the Jayhawks. Von Atkinson (PG, 88 ovr) led the game with 26 points for Villanova.
• Louisville’s run came to a screeching halt. The 9 seed was outscored 67-27 in the first half by Ohio State en-route to a 101-50 loss.
• Michigan State made the Final Four with a comfortable win over Boston College, 81-64.

[Scuzz]

Re: 2023 March Madness: Elite 8 Update

Such a cliche Final Four with those schools. All too familiar

I think Kansas pulls the upset and meets up with Michigan State in the natty.

[studbucket]

Re: 2023 March Madness: Elite 8 Update

Such a cliche Final Four with those schools. All too familiar

I think Kansas pulls the upset and meets up with Michigan State in the natty.

Yeah, way too many "blue bloods", ha. There have been some surprises in past years, but there's just way too much talent in some of these teams.

Kansas is a bit of a surprise as I think they missed the tourney entirely last year.

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Around the NBA: March 2023 Update

• Last we checked in, Philadelphia was just 4.5 games behind Milwaukee and in second place. They’ve gone 8-11 in that stretch and have fallen to fourth and are just a game ahead of fifth place Cleveland. There were no major injuries, the team just stopped playing well and even went on a 5-game losing streak to Indiana, Detroit, Charlotte, Chicago, and Brooklyn.
• It took a bit of time, but Boston has come together and are looking dangerous with a starting five of Damian Lillard (PG, 83 ovr), Marcus Smart (SG, 84 ovr), Gordon Hayward (SF, 83 ovr), Jayson Tatum (PF, 87 ovr), and Myles Turner (C, 83 ovr). They are 13-5 since the All-Star break and just ahead of Detroit for the second seed.
• Even better than Boston have been the Detroit Pistons, who are 16-3 since the break. Trevor Merchant (PG, 86 ovr) is a superstar and is averaging 28.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He has a very capable supporting cast of Marvin Bagley III (C, 85 ovr), Andrew Wiggins (SF, 84 ovr), Kevin Huerter (SG, 81 ovr), Sekou Doumbouya (PF, 81 ovr), Miles Bridges (SF, 80 ovr), and T.J. Leaf (PF, 83 ovr). They are a young and exciting team and may be just a year or two away from being true contenders.
• Denver’s great season continues and even though they are only 11-8 since the All-Star break, they are still 2.5 games ahead of second place Golden State.
• Defending champs Brooklyn are holding on to a low playoff seed. They have been ravaged by injuries, but haven’t played well all year. However, all of their players except for Jakob Poeltl (C, 78 ovr) should be back by the time the playoffs start, which make them a very dangerous matchup for an unlucky top seed.
• The Raptors’ trade for Kawhi Leonard (SF, 95 ovr) looks like it will not pay off this season. They are still 5 games below .500 and are 4.5 games behind Charlotte for the 8 seed and will need to regroup for next year.
• The math is simple this year: if you have a winning record, you are in the playoffs. A team that doesn’t have a winning record is the Los Angeles Lakers. They find themselves 2 games out of the playoff race with just 8 games remaining.
• Sacramento is easily the worst team in the NBA and will just crest 20 wins…and they don’t even have their first round pick as they sent it to 5^th seeded Phoenix. What a nightmare for the Kings.

Project Playoff Picture
#1 Milwaukee (53-20) vs #8 Charlotte (39-35)
#2 Boston (46-27) vs #7 Brooklyn (40-34)
#3 Detroit (45-28) vs #6 Atlanta (40-33)
#4 Philadelphia (44-29) vs #5 Cleveland (43-30)

#1 Denver (51-21) vs #8 Dallas (38-34)
#2 Golden State (49-24) vs #7 Utah (39-35)
#3 Memphis (47-26) vs #6 Minnesota (40-33)
#4 Houston (45-29) vs #5 Phoenix (41-32)

Trevor Merchant has been dunking on opponents all season long, literally and metaphorically

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2023 March Madness: Final 4 Update

Key Performances

• Duke looks unstoppable. The Blue Devils manhandled Kansas, winning 94-63. The Jayhawks looked impotent as they only had 2 players sore in double digits and all non-Lou Park starters only combined for 16 points. For Duke, Jerald McLaren (SG, 91 ovr) scored 21 and Troy Jameson (SF, 90 ovr) scored 23 for the Blue Devils, who now return to the title game looking to win a second straight national championship.
• The all-Big Ten semifinal was a great game. Ohio State jumped out to a 50-41 halftime lead led by Lynn Ingram (SG, 84 ovr), who ended with 24 points. However, it was Michigan State who pulled out the 95-92 win as 11 players scored in double digits to get the win. MSU is a good team, but will have their hands absolutely full trying to handle Duke.

NIT Update

• It was all about Michigan’s Harvey Dewitt (PG, 80 ovr) and Oklahoma’s Sherman Turner (C, 84 ovr). In the semifinals Dewitt scored 30 points in a 77-72 win over Miami and Turner scored 28, grabbed 17 rebounds, and added 5 blocks in a 87-74 win over Purdue. In the final, Michigan slowed down the big man from Oklahoma, holding him to 16 points, but Dewitt balled out. The senior PG scored 30 points, had 9 assists, and 7 rebounds (ignore those 8 turnovers) as Michigan won the NIT 85-70.

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2023 NCAA Basketball Season Recap

That’s two straight national championships for the Duke Blue Devils as Coach K gets his 7^th title in a comeback 81-79 victory. Duke may have coasted to the title game, but the final game was a very good and close game between two excellent teams. Rudolph Butler (SG, 88 ovr) played very well for the Spartans scoring 27 points, shooting 5-8 from deep.

However, it wasn’t enough as Duke managed to pull ahead in the final minutes and were led by Jerald McLaren’s 20 points and David Bruff shooting 9-11 from the free throw line while blocking 6 shots. The Blue Devils are a completely stacked team, and so it is a credit to Michigan State that they were able to keep it as close as they were.

However, it’s shocking to say the Blue Devils are stacked given they lost 4 players to the NBA last year. In fact, this could arguably be the most talented team we’ve seen in the last 20-30 years at the college level. Duke’s starting 5 were:

1. Sheldon Newman (SG, 91 ovr)
2. Jerald McLaren (SG, 91 ovr)
3. Troy Jameson (SF, 90 ovr)
4. Marcelo Barber (PF, 89 ovr)
5. David Bruff (PF, 91 ovr)

Despite all that talent, they played as a team. So much so that not a single one of them made a postseason All-American team. All of that talent meant that they took turns being stars and didn’t finish with outstanding stats. However, there will be a lot of turnover after this season as all starters except Marcelo Barber are expected to enter the NBA draft, several of them in the first round, if not the lottery.

National Player of the Year: Raynell Ere, C, USC
The big man from Los Angeles had an amazing season and represents a far better NBA prospect than the last 3 award winners. While his exit from the tournament was disappointing, everyone lost to Duke. His season was not disappointing as he showed an ability to do almost everything (his passing needs some work) as he averaged 25.1 points, 8 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game. He even shot 39.3% from deep, which will keep teams honest in the NBA as the 7’1” big guy stretches the floor.


Mid-Major Player of the Year: Raymond Parkinson, C, Nevada
The junior out of Reno was an absolute stud for the Wolfpack this season. He’s made first team all-conference all 3 years of his career and has more than doubled his scoring output since he started, averaging 21 points per game.


National Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
Many people grumbled about this pick as Coach K had the best team in the country and has had his share of accolades…but you can only be so mad when this is given to the dominant national title winners.


Defensive Player of the Year: Raynell Ere, C, USC
Ere grabs another award here thanks to his 4.2 blocks + steals per game and 8 rebounds.


Freshman of the Year: Jermaine Faulk, SG, Louisville
The #3 overall recruit of 2022, Faulk was Mr. Basketball in the state of Mississippi (hailing from Biloxi) and burst onto the scene scoring nearly 14 points per game for the Cardinals. He helped lead them from a 9 seed to beating Florida and Arizona and making it to the Elite 8.


First Team All-American
PG: Trevor Barrett, Miami
SG: Varney Grizzard, Arizona State
SF: Tommy Nabors, Seton Hall
PF: Sherman Turner, Oklahoma
C: Raynell Ere, USC

Second Team All-American
PG: Rodney Mullins, Wake Forest
SG: Tyler Dudley, Minnesota
SF: Britton Ramsdell, La Salle
PF: Steve Beck, Georgia Tech
C: Delvon Archie, Texas A&M

Freshman Team All-American
PG: Jasko Bowman, Tennessee
SG: Jermaine Faulk, Louisville
SF: Brennan Powell, Baylor
PF: Rodney Bowers, Notre Dame
C: Daniel Almond, Northwestern

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Dragomirov Conference Recap

We’ve covered all the national awards, now let’s look at Oggy and Dinko’s conferences. How did the coaches do in their fourth year and who had performances of note in their conferences?

Atlantic Sun
Jacksonville had a magnificent season last year and returned most of their players. While they did well this year, they finished second in the regular season and tournament and did not make the NCAAs. Lipscomb surprised everyone by winning the regular season, but only showed up once in conference awards: Jerimie Barisic making first team all-conference as a center.

Jacksonville’s talent was very clear in the awards as they made up 60% of the first team all-conference roster, but it was the Stetson Hatters who stole the show. In addition to winning the conference tournament, Oggy won the coach of the year award for the first time in his career, and his freshman class won “ALL THE THINGS” as Lennox Evertsen took freshman of the year and joined Arnaud Dahi and Neil Mobley on the all-freshman team. That doesn’t even include fan favorite Marko “Spicy K” Nevill, who came into his own down the stretch.

Sam Zeigler finally graduates and goes out with a bang, scoring 26 points and pulling down 8 rebounds per game in his final season with the Camels.

Award	Winner
Regular Season Champions	Lipscomb Bison (12-4 conference record)
Conference Tournament Champions	Stetson Hatters
Coach of the Year	Ognyan Dragomirov, Stetson
Player of the Year	Sam Zeigler, SF, Campbell 26.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.0 bpg
Freshman of the Year	Lennox Evertsen, SG, Stetson 12.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg
1st Team All-Conference	PG: J. Amerson, Jacksonville SG: R. O’Bannon, Jacksonville SF: S. Zeigler, Campbell PF: L. Sargent, Jacksonville C: J. Barisic, Lipscomb
2nd Team All-Conference	PG: C. Blackshear, SC Upstate SG: F. Allison, Florida Gulf Coast SF: B. Prekevicius, Gardner-Webb PF: U. Stivers, Belmont C: D. Wagner, Stetson
Freshman All-Conference	PG: A. Dahi, Stetson SG: L. Evertsen, Stetson SF: N. Mobley, Stetson PF: M. Prince, East Tennessee State C: M. Rost, North Florida

Northeast Conference
For the second straight year, Central Connecticut State won the NEC, Donyell Marshall won coach of the year, and the Blue Devils got knocked out by St. Francis - who also won the NEC tournament. However, St. Francis won no individual awards for the first time in Dinko’s tenure. Long Island and Sacred Heart both have two freshman on the All-NEC freshman team, which is a good sign for their future. With as much as Dinko relied on Chris Thompson, Willis Holman, and Tanoris Houston it’s surprising that none of them made the team.

Award	Winner
Regular Season Champions	Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (12-6 conference record)
Conference Tournament Champions	St. Francis Red Flash
Coach of the Year	Donyell Marshall, Central Connecticut State
Player of the Year	Issa Matela, SG, Quinnipiac 20.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.2 bpg
Freshman of the Year	Dallas Perry, PF, Long Island 7.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.5 spg, 2.2 bpg
1st Team All-Conference	PG: W. Wheless, Central Connecticut State SG: I. Matela, Quinnipiac SF: G. Dalgarn, Long Island PF: D. Ravello, Central Connecticut State C: M. Augustine, St. Francis (NY)
2nd Team All-Conference	PG: P. Pjevcevic, Monmouth SG: D. Mark, Robert Morris SF: D. Salazar, Fairleigh Dickinson PF: M. Didlake, Monmouth C: J. Lalugba, Long Island
Freshman All-Conference	PG: R. Pritchard, Long Island SG: R. Timmerman, Sacred Heart SF: R. Anthony, Wagner PF: D. Perry, Long Island C: M. Harvey, Sacred Heart

Related Players Update
Back in Greeley, Colorado we see that Brandon North’s time at Northern Colorado has finished and the guard has graduated. He led the team in scoring with 18.1 points per game and finished his career with a first and two second team all-conference honors. A wonderful honor for the undersized and unheralded sharpshooter.

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Top NBA Prospects Update – 2023 NBA Draft

With March Madness over, there were a few players who had their draft status meaningfully change. The following players decided to stay 1 more in year college. The list was quite long:

• Roland Mayes, PG, Arizona
• Fab Pratt, SG, UCLA
• Curtis Bittee, SG, Kansas State
• Leighton Byerson, SG, Boston College
• Bobby Reed, SG, Pittsburgh
• V.J. Andres, SF, Kansas
• Jon Paul Frank, SF, Marquette
• J.B. McCroskey, SF, Hartford
• Keston Mendoza, PF, Stanford
• Darius Lovelace, C, Washington

And these players from small schools saw their stock rise to where they may be considered 2nd round picks:

• Haruna Stone, 6’6” SG from Xavier
• Freddie Medina, 6’5” SG from UNLV
• Trevor Blackshear, 6’7” SG from Western Kentucky
• Stewart Meredith, 6’10” SF from Gonzaga
• Stephon James, 6’10” SF from Dayton

Here are the top prospects in this year’s NBA draft and how they fared in March.

Point Guards

Player	School	Age	Rank	Tourney Performance	NBA Player Comps
C.W. Wente	Michigan State	21	3	Missed first two games due to injury. Once back led team in scoring 3x in 4 games. Lost to Duke in title game. Averaged 20ppg, 5.25rpg, and 3apg.	Eric Bledsoe, Langston Galloway
Tudor Filimon	Romania	22	14	N/A	Goran Dragic, Raymond Felton
Rade Macchi	Poland	18	20	N/A	Ricky Rubio, C.J. Watson
Devonne Shakur	USC	21	22	Knocked out in sweet 16 by Duke. Only 12 points and 4 assists per game.	Robert Pack, Langston Galloway
Kentrell Werch	Florida	20	28	Shocked in round 2 by Louisville. Averaged 21.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 4 apg in two games.	Eddie Johnson, Raymond Felton

Shooting Guards

Player	School	Age	Rank	Tourney Performance	NBA Player Comps
Jerald McLaren	Duke	20	5	Champions. 14ppg and 4.33apg in the tourney.	J.J. Redick, Allen Crabbe
Artie Tyler	Australia	23	11	N/A	J.J. Redick, Arron Afflalo
Matthew Carroll	Alabama	22	17	No postseason play.	Eric Gordon, Sarunas Marciulionis
Sheldon Newman	Duke	19	18	Champions. Only 3ppg, 3 apg though.	J.J. Redick, Arron Afflalo
Malcolm Nahra	UCLA	21	21	Lost in round 2 of NIT. Had 16 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 4 apg.	Marco Belinelli, Troy Daniels

Small Forwards

Player	School	Age	Rank	Tourney Performance	NBA Player Comps
Jameer Trammell	Kansas State	21	1	Embarrassing. Fouled out in 4 minutes and lost in round 1 to 14 seed Cal Poly.	Kevin Durant, Chandler Parsons
Ndudi Colter	Oklahoma State	23	8	Lost in second round to Iowa. Averaged 15ppg and 6rpg in 2 games.	Corey Brewer
Troy Jameson	Duke	21	13	Champions. 17.8 ppg (led teasm), 7.2 rpg (led team) in tourney.	Latrell Sprewell, Nick Young
Shawan Guzman	Arizona	19	15	Upset by Louisville in Sweet 16. Played very well, with highs of 31 points and 13 rebounds. Averaged 23 and 10 for tourney.	Danilo Gallinari, Kent Bazemore
Bobby Drake	Syracuse	22	24	Lost to Duke in Elite 8. Got hurt in game 3 and only played 4 minutes. Excluding that game, averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds per game.	Corey Brewer, P.J. Tucker, Andre Iguodala, George Lynch

Power Forwards

Player	School	Age	Rank	Tourney Performance	NBA Player Comps
Horace Wolfe	Kentucky	22	2	Lost in round 1 of NIT to UAB. Scored 21 points, grabbed 10 boards, and had 3 blocks.	Laphonso Ellis, Nikola Mirotic
David Bruff	Duke	20	6	Champions. 13.3 ppg and 6 rpg. Also added 2 blocks per game, including 6 in champ game.	Donyell Marshall, Marvin Williams, Sam Perkins
Roy Grady	Texas	22	10	No postseason play.	Antoine Carr, Carl Landry
K.J. Mendiola	Colombia	18	12	N/A	Horace Grant, John Salley
Steve Beck	Georgia Tech	22	19	Upset in second round by Cal Poly. Averaged astounding 34 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.	Christian Laettner, Kris Humphries

Centers

Player	School	Age	Rank	Tourney Performance	NBA Player Comps
Raynell Ere	USC	22	4	Made it to Sweet 16. Dominant with 25.3 ppg, 9 rpg, and 2.3 bpg.	Herb Williams, Dewayne Dedmon, Manute Bol
Delvon Archie	Texas A&M	21	7	Lost in round 2 of NIT. Averaged 27 points and 4 rebounds.	Marreese Speights, Spencer Hawes
Lamar Olson	Ohio State	22	9	Made Final 4, losing to MSU. 19.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg.	Mychal Thompson, Luc Longley
Stephan Maclies	NC State	22	16	Lost in round 1 to GT. Had 25 and 12.	Randy Breuer, Justin Hamilton
Lou Park	Kansas	22	30	Made it to Final 4, losing to Duke. Had game highs of 29 and 25 points to average 18.2 ppg for tourney. Only 4.6 rpg and 0.4 bpg though.	Will Perdue,

[Scuzz]

Re: Top NBA Prospects Update – 2023 NBA Draft

Natty champs, a stacked lineup with multiple top five positional prospects, but no all-americans shockingly enough.

Didn't realize how loaded they were.

[studbucket]

Re: Top NBA Prospects Update – 2023 NBA Draft

Natty champs, a stacked lineup with multiple top five positional prospects, but no all-americans shockingly enough.

Didn't realize how loaded they were.

The crazy thing is that they lost several starters last season after their first title. 4 players went pro for them last year:

1. SF Jaan O'Donnell
2. SG Seth Oneil
3. PG Mason Delgado
4. SG Trevor Nash (bench player)

That means, the bolded players below were new starters this season:

1. Sheldon Newman (SG, 91 ovr)
2. Jerald McLaren (SG, 91 ovr)
3. Troy Jameson (SF, 90 ovr)
4. Marcelo Barber (PF, 89 ovr)
5. David Bruff (PF, 91 ovr)

How stacked they are is crazy. However, I don't think they'll win again next year, I don't think they quite replenished their talent fast enough, but we'll see.

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Around the NBA: 2022-2023 Regular Season Recap

The 2022-2023 NBA season has come to a close and we saw a lot of drama for the last two playoff spots, with some big dogs falling short.

With three days remaining in the season, every team had two games remaining. In the East, we saw a 4-way race for the final two spots: Brooklyn (41 wins), Charlotte (40 wins), Chicago (40 wins), and Toronto (38 wins). Charlotte had the tiebreaker over both Brooklyn and Chicago. Toronto needs to win out and see Charlotte and Chicago lose both games to make it.

The day started off with the Raptors immediately getting knocked out of contention. Andre Drummond had 25 points and 21 rebounds as the Cavs bested Toronto 109-107. All three other Eastern conference teams lost that day as well, with the Bulls even losing to the lowly Magic. Brooklyn and Chicago controlled their own destiny on the final day, while Chicago needed to win and have one of those two teams lose.

On the final day, Chicago started off by beating the 76ers. They were now praying for a Brooklyn or Charlotte loss and saw their wish granted just 30 minutes later. Brooklyn lost to Indiana and hanging by a thread. They now needed Charlotte to lose, otherwise the defending champs were going to be eliminated.

The Hornets faced off against the Pacers and beat them easily, winning by 22. That left all three teams at 41-41 and Brooklyn lost the tiebreaker, putting Charlotte at the 7 seed and Chicago in the 8 seed.

Out West, we had three teams fighting for the final two spots: Minnesota with 43 wins, Dallas with 42, and the LA Lakers with 41. Just like the East, all three teams lost their first games, including the Mavs losing to the league-worst Kings. However, those losses clinched a spot for the Timberwolves, meaning the final spot would come down to the last day of the season. If Dallas won, they were in. If they lost and LA won, the Lakers would get the 8^th spot.

The Mavericks got destroyed by nearly 30 points when playing the Rockets, leaving the door open for the Lakers. Unfortunately, all the star power of LeBron, Davis, and George couldn’t defeat the lowly Portland Trail Blazers as the Lakers miss the playoffs at 41-41 while the Mavericks make it at 42-40. It’s an embarrassment for Doc Rivers and his star-studded squad to not even get a winning record this season.

Some other things to note from the last month:

• Boston has finally jelled and is the hottest team in the NBA, going 12-3 over the last month and locking down the second seed in the East. Damian Lillard (PG, 89 ovr) and Jayson Tatum (PF, 87 ovr) both averaged 21+ ppg and the team had the 10^th best defense in the NBA.
• Contrasting with Boston, their first-round opponent Charlotte has been the coldest team in the NBA over the last month. They have gone 6-10 in the last month and nearly fell out of the playoffs. They’ve dealt with injury after injury, have very little big man depth behind Richaun Holmes (C, 80 ovr), and have the 9^th worst defense in the NBA, allowing 117.6 ppg.
• Dan Vignale (PG, 80 ovr) is technically a third year pro, but never played a game his first two seasons in the NBA as he languished on the bench for the Suns and then went unsigned due to vaccine hesitation before his third season. He was finally picked up by the Thunder and has been fantastic for them, splitting time with Derrick Rose and becoming a fan favorite. That all paid off this year as he made the All-Rookie Second Team.
• There are several meaningful injuries that will impact this year’s playoffs.
  • De’Aaron Fox (PG, 87 ovr) is recovering from an injured knee and should be able to play some of the series against Boston for the Hornets.
  • Arnold McNurlin (SF, 82 ovr) will be out for another 2-4 weeks with a hamstring injury, which will make the playoffs even more difficult for the Timberwolves.
  • Brandon Clarke (PF, 84 ovr) has been hugely impactful as a 6^th man for the Grizzlies the last 4 years, but he has torn his MCL and will miss the next month-plus. Hopefully the Grizzlies can stay alive long enough for him to return.
  • The Bucks are without Donte DiVincenzo (SG, 81 ovr) for another 4-6 weeks due to left elbow issues. However, they should be fine for at least the first two rounds without him.
  
  
• Many around the NBA are upset with the All-NBA selections:
  • The Lakers missed the playoffs, but somehow LeBron made 1^st team and Anthony Davis made the 2^nd team. You can hear Bill Simmons screaming from here about how winning and making the playoffs matters.
  • Nikola Jokic, who finished second in MVP voting, didn’t make the 1^st team and Steph Curry, who finished top 5 in MVP voting, was the 3^rd team PG.
  
  

Standings

Awards

For the first time since Larry Bird in the early mid-80s and for only the 4^th time ever (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell) someone has won three straight NBA MVPs. Giannis grabs his fourth award and there is zero doubt that he deserves it this year. He scored 28.5 points, grabbed 12.4 rebounds, and had a career high 6.2 assists per game.

The first overall pick out of Tennessee showed his worth for the Timberwolves. He played 63 games this season (which was cut short by an injury), starting every one of them as the Timberwolves grabbed the 7 seed.

Three very familiar faces show up here, plus Mike Malone. The Nuggets coach helped lead this team to the top of the West and were there most of the season. After being on the hot seat just 2 years ago, he’s now turned this team into a top 4 team in the playoffs and one that many expect to see playing into June. Jarrett Pressley impressively wins his second straight 6^th Man of the Year award, having increased his points, rebounds, and assists per game.

Giannis adds to his stellar resume and season by winning his very first Defensive Player of the Year award and Jerry Sparks builds on top of last year’s Rookie of the Year award to grab the Most Improved Player award. He scored over 7 more points per game while improving his defense and led the Hornets to the playoffs for the first time in 7 years.


All-NBA Teams

1st Team	2nd Team	3rd Team
Trevor Merchant, PG, Pistons	Russell Westbrook, PG, Rockets	Stephen Curry, PG, Warriors
Luka Doncic, SG, Mavericks	James Harden, SG, Rockets	Devin Booker, SG, Suns
LeBron James, SF, Lakers	Kevin Durant, SF, Nets	Kawhi Leonard, SF, Raptors
Giannis Antetokounmpo, SF, Bucks	Anthony Davis, PF, Lakers	Zion Williamson, PF, Pelicans
Andre Drummond, C, Cavaliers	Nikola Jokic, C, Nuggets	Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Timberwolves

All-Defensive Teams

1st Team	2nd Team
Ben Simmons, PG, 76ers	Matisse Thybulle, SG, 76ers
Marcus Smart, SG, Celtics	Paul George, SG, Lakers
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Bucks	Kawhi Leonard, SF, Raptors
Anthony Davis, PF, Lakers	Robert Covington, PF, Suns
Andre Drummond, C, Cavaliers	Rudy Gobert, C, Jazz

All-Rookie Teams

1st Team	2nd Team
Erroll Reaser, PG, Magic	Dan Vignale, PG, Thunder
Arnold McNurlin, SF, Timberwolves	Milos Jeffers, SG, Thunder
Jaan O’Donnell, SF, Magic	Kurt Gibbs, SG, Cavaliers
Adrian Stewart, PF, Pelicans	Darrall Lampley, SF, Heat
Stewart Mobley, C, Nets	Timon Fields, SF, Raptors

Playoff Matchups

Aside from the drama for the bottom few seeds, the only notable change was Cleveland falling from the 5^th to 6^th seed as they went 2-7 in their last 9 games and allowed the Hawks to leapfrog them.

Here is a brief preview of each playoff matchup.

The regional rivals face off for the second straight year, and many don’t expect it to be close. Milwaukee has been dominant for years and the Bulls have barely made the playoffs. Bucks in 4.

The hottest team vs the coldest team in the NBA. Maybe De’Aaron Fox makes a difference, but Charlotte probably can’t slow down Boston. Celtics in 5.

The Cavs are a good team…but are 3-7 in their last 10 and haven’t been playing well. Also, only 1 team has Trevor Merchant and that team should win. Pistons in 6.

Atlanta has played well lately and the 76ers have cooled off a bit. However, Philadelphia matches up well against Atlanta as the Hawks struggle to guard Embiid. The 76ers are 3-1 vs Atlanta this season and should continue their winning ways. 76ers in 6.

Dallas is a sneaky good 8 seed. Their core hasn’t changed dramatically and they’ve been the 2, 3, and 7 seed the last three seasons. However, they’ve been inconsistent and Denver has consistently been the best team in the West all season. Beal, Jokic, Murray, and Bol are all scoring 18+ ppg. The Nuggets are just too well rounded for Dallas. Nuggets in 6.

Without McNurlin, Linnie Walker, and Jarrett Culver, the Wolves are hurting. The Warriors are healthy and always do well when Ayton is starting. Warriors in 4.

Memphis made the NBA Finals last season, taking the Nets to 7 games. They don’t have their best bench threat in Brandon Clarke, but they still have Ja, JJJ, and Jonas surrounded by shooters. Utah has done well, but don’t have the talent to match up with Memphis. Grizzlies in 6.

This is a tantalizing matchup on paper. Harden and Westbrook against Booker and Bam. The Rockets are probably a bit more talented, but Phoenix is well-rounded. However, the Rockets won the season series 4-0. Rockets in 5.


Here’s a gif to get you excited for the playoffs: a Kevin Huerter-to-Marvin Bagley oop with a crazy finish from Bagley.

[Scuzz]

Re: Around the NBA: 2022-2023 Regular Season Recap

A third straight MVP, the DPOY, and has his team in prime position to capture a title... Giannis is trying to take the title of GOAT here.

Also, interesting to see both 9-seeds have winning records and miss out on the playoffs. Wonder how often that's happened. League is pretty balanced.

[studbucket]

Re: Around the NBA: 2022-2023 Regular Season Recap

A third straight MVP, the DPOY, and has his team in prime position to capture a title... Giannis is trying to take the title of GOAT here.

Also, interesting to see both 9-seeds have winning records and miss out on the playoffs. Wonder how often that's happened. League is pretty balanced.

Giannis is on a mission and is dominant. He only has the 1 NBA title though and probably needs to add to that. Surprisingly, Clint Capela has made a great frontcourt mate for him and the Bucks have ridiculous rim protection.

The league is definitely balanced and strong. Two expansion teams joining the West and Memphis shifting to the East may tilt things to be a bit stronger in the East, but we'll see what happens there.

The league is strong enough that it seems like lower seeds advance in the playoffs every year and it's not a huge surprise.