NBA 2024-25 Season Thread

Greatest current player nickname?

My vote:

This. I'd even have Cade over him.

Probably get 3rd team.

November '24 Tim was right. They're the best regular season team ever. Half of their losses were when Chet and Hartenstein were out and JDub was playing center, otherwise they'd be going for 74-75 wins. Other than SGA staying healthy they've had poor injury luck all year and they still have the best point differential ever (by more than a full ppg right now), I think maybe the best defense ever relative to era? I think their expected win loss is 65-10 or 66-9 right now even with all the injuries.

I don't think they'll be as good in the playoffs but they're so much better than everyone in the west it won't matter, and they're still gonna title unless the Celtics (or Cavs I guess) run unsustainably hot from 3.

It doesn't really matter since nobody else in the west has real equity, but my hot take is the Timberwolves are actually #2 on the list (mostly just because they're the only team I can imagine possibly giving OKC a tough series).

I think the correct answer for second in the West is daylight.

If nobody cared, we wouldn’t gift their guy an MVP

Their by far best player and MVP basically hasn't missed a game

Their 2nd best player has missed 10

Their 3rd best player has half the season

The rest of their relevant rotation has basically missed 10 games all season except for Hartenstein & Caruso who missed 20

Genuinely curious : if that's poor injury luck all season, can we have examples of good injury luck this season?

Lakers will beat OKC in the playoffs.

https://www.bball-index.com/nba-injuries/

Basketball Index

Team Injury Impacts - Basketball Index

OKC is the 4th unluckiest team this season with this metric (basically wins above replacement lost due to absences). So I guess the Pistons are the best example of good injury luck.

If I didn't think you were trolling I'd say this was a worse TZ take than 14. Ryan Anderson.

Not trolling.

Simply Believing in Luka Magic and the Power of the formidable Big 3 of Luka/LeBron/Reaves.

Somebody said something about Curry…?

Nonzero chance he reads this thread.

westbrook lololololololol

lol Ja did the gun salute to someone.

What an idiot.

Middle finger would have been better.

Haliburton has higher WS (6th overall), VORP (5th), Lebron WAR (6th) and ESPN Net Points WAR (8th) than all three of them.

First ever player to get to 500 AST before 100 TO in a season and then his next 100 AST came for about 11 TO or something insane like that

He has like negative chance of actually getting that 5th spot in the first team, because "creating without turning the ball over" is like the least exciting thing ever, but he has as good an argument as anyone IMO if people genuinely voted for the guys that helped their teams win the most.

I think Mitchell gets it though because Cavs team success.

Imagine thinking Shai (who has been amazing in his own right) should be MVP over Joker.

a decade ago westbrook's finish to the nuggets game would have had its own 500 post thread

Just a prelude of what will happen in the playoffs

The first mistake of going for the layup instead of running the clock out is definitely on WB. But if that foul is truly a foul by the rules, then that's everything wrong with the NBA in one play.

Mitchell has low-key been great and I wouldn't mind him getting 1st team over Steph, but the death of Steph has been greatly exaggerated, his advanced stats are still excellent.

Good timing, he just dropped 52/10/8 :p

THANK YOU

Haliburton is one of the 10 best offensive players on the planet and has a very legit case for top 5. Only Jokic and SGA are CLEARLY better on that end. Luka at full health and comfort, probably. Hali has every argument for #4. Haliburton is a better all-around player than Brunson, Dame, Booker...

After correctly adjusting for TO/TO rate, like you allude to, he very much seems like the best passer in the league.

I saw a dude on another forum say that Cade Cunningham is a better player "in all ways" than Haliburton. JFC. Guy gets no respect.

it upsets me few will understand this reference 😀

There's dozens of us.

I’d rather have Brunson than Haliburton.

His clutch factor is through the roof.

It is hard to believe that Joker is on pace to finish top 3 in points, assists, rebounds and steals but will be runner up in the MVP voting.

Haliburton had a really rough start to the year, since Dec 1st, he's been his usual outstanding self, but that slump is what probably kills his 2nd team chances.

Post All-star: 21/3/11 with a 9.5 AST/TO ratio on 54/46/93 splits