DETROIT PISTONS VS. NEW YORK KNICKS
What happened to the Knicks in Game 5 was the realization of the biggest concerned I had when they decided to acquire KAT, which is interior defense. I'm not saying that it's all his fault. He pulls off a big defensive play from time to time. But he is the starting C, meaning that, if the Pistons do go on to win the series due to that discrepancy, he will be scapegoat - and rightfully so, since Karl has always been criticized for his lack of defensive output. But since the entire world already knew that, you have presume NYK's braintrust did also, and the blame is ultimately on them. The problem with building your roster to defeat a specific team (i.e. the Celtics) is that, wait a minute, there's other good teams out there also, with different types of makeup.
Meanwhile, Detroit is one of the few squads that has a roster built to bang hard in the post, i.e. possessing more than one young, athletic big.
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (4) VS. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (1)
Speaking of teams that can't compete in the post, the assinity of the Lakers - in trading AD for Luka without getting any bigs in return - has now been exposed in front of the entire world. That was really, really stupid, because even when AD was around, they needed more depth in the post (since Lebron now insists on being a perimeter player).
The Lakers, in the aftermath of the Luka trade, recently gave Rob Pelinka like a raise or some shit, and I was like why? They got caught up in that early, unwarranted excitement, which you aren't supposed to do as professionals.
Rudy Gobert may be overrated, particularly when it comes to defending perimeter players, but he's still the type of borderline-allstar, traditional C most teams these days completely lack. And if he goes against a squad like the Lakers, one that doesn't respect post play at all, you know, your boy can go off. I mean, why's not? Who on the opposing team is big enough to contest him? Lebron may be ageless, but he isn't vintage, so you can't expect him to consistently play consistent, quality defense anymore. Duh. I've been saying that for years.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS VS. INDIANA PACERS
There was Gary Trent Jr., (finally) on the cusp of the stardom. And just like, it was taken away, in like the worst way imaginable for a professional athlete - through a blunder in a close elimination game. There's a lesson to be learnt there, like for all of us type shit.
If Haliburton is in fact overrated, that definitely didn't show against the Bucks. I see this as sort of a defining postseason for him. The Cavs apparently are better suited to defend a large, scoring PG than the Bucks are. So if he wants to prove that he truly is one of the best, now he's going to get the chance.
BTW - I'm not as pessimistic about Milwaukee's future as others may be. I believe they can build something with Giannis + Porter Jr. + Sims + AJ Green and yes, including Trent Jr. A star winning championships with the same organization yet different iterations of the roster is not unheard of (i.e. Kobe). With a player like Giannis, in his prime as some would say, I think the Bucks need to focus more on speed and athleticism. That makes players like Lopez, Portis and yes, even Dame expendable. Getting rid of those guys won't be easy, but if Milwaukee can flip them for more applicable players of the new youth era, that would be ideal.
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Damn, the Thunder haven't played for like a week now. Talk about teams getting their rest.
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