Betrayer

From the moment I saw Bane's contract 3 years ago I said it was an overpay. The worst thing you can do in the NBA is max out an "almost All-Star". Especially in the new cap. Bane isn't a #1 or a #2. He's not an All NBA player. If he makes an All-Star team some year he'll be squeaking in as a reserve. Sound familiar? Jalen Duren, this is you I'm talking about. You want those guys on team friendly contracts, like Trey Murphy's deal. Not a max.

Why? He already had 3 years left on his deal and we haven't even gotten to play a game in the second round of the playoffs yet. Are they trying to get ahead of the CotY awards in case he wins it? Previously we had a Weaver organization that made moves on top of moves, recklessly firing "all the bullets in the clip" and shedding assets along the way. Now we have the opposite. An organization that is loyal to a fault. This is the type of organization that cripples its future by giving Duren a max contract, so get ready for it.

Harden and Mitchell on the perimeter. Allen and Mobley inside. Really tough matchup because it's not just about who you put Ausar on and if Cade will have the energy to guard the other. These are much better offensive creators than Bane who stands there and waits to shoot a three. Expect to see a ton of screens targeting Duncan and Harris to get them on Mitchell/Harden. Also, there are real concerns about foul trouble for both Ausar and Cade against some of the best foul baiters in the business. That's just the perimeter. On the inside you also have to deal with the fact that Mobley and Allen can totally shut down the inside and that's really the only place we can score. Allen is also a terrific offensive rebounder and we're not great at stopping that. If you're hoping for Super-Cade to save us, just know that he had a 44 TS against the Cavs this season. He also averaged 5.8 turnovers and was a -7.3 on the court. They had 4 matchups this season: Game 1: Loss 116-95. They killed us. They had everyone but Harden. Game 2: Win 114-110. No JD for us. No Allen or Harden for them. Game 3: Win 122-119. No Mitchell or Harden. Game 4: Loss 113-109. No Mitchell. This matchup is Piston's kryptonite because they can hunt mismatches on offense, get guys in foul trouble, and shut down the paint. We need our guys to get hot from three for a series to keep up with their ability to score since the paint will be very difficult to navigate, but that's just not really our strength.

Both series in the West should be sweeps.

Best Duren game of the series by a mile.

Why do we struggle so much with the press? One pass and you have a 4 on 3 advantage if you push it. We’re playing like we’re trying to dribble out the clock even though there’s plenty of time.

Definitely. Toronto plays tougher, but Cleveland is a terrible matchup.

We need Cade and Ausar to play 40+ in every game next round.

He runs his mouth even when he’s having a bad game. That’s his super power.

Jenkins showed up!!!

Ugh. Don’t let them do to us what we did to them. Match that intensity! Pressure further out.

Come out of the half like last game and step on their throats. Make them fight just to get it across half court. Pressure the ball. We saw what they can do when they want to. Do it.

Tobias with a contract year playoff performance. We need every bit of it.

Robinson missing is killing us. That, and the turnovers. Should be up 5 or more.

At least he finally hit an open three.

Duncan struggling on open threes and their 30% shooter is 3 for 3. Cmon!

How often do 2 teams come back from 1-3 in the first round? How do the 1 and 2 seeds both lose in the first round? Either way, this outcome is sure to be historical.

Love this, especially after Vegas and every national writer essentially crowned Boston the best team in the East before the playoffs started. It won't be as fun if we lose as well, but for now I can celebrate a little.

First Half: 0 Blocks, 0 Steals Second Half: 5 Steals, 8 Blocks Cade had 1 block and 4 steals. Ausar had 4 blocks and 1 steal. Reed had 3 blocks. That's the game right there. I also want to give some kudos to Tobias in this series so far. No, he can't hit a three, but he's doing everything else he can trying to be the second scorer on this team because nobody else can/will. Without him this is already over.

Just like Banchero's shot near the end of Game 3(?). This time it was good luck for us. Cleveland will win at home, but at least they aren't sitting around waiting in case we actually make it to the second round.

The end of this Cleveland/Toronto game is nuts right now.

They just posted a stat on the Houston game that they’re +33 with Amen on the court and -28 with him off. Unlike JB who forgets about Ausar, Udoka has only sat Amen 25 minutes in the whole series.

Did Lavert get hurt?

My mind is still blown. What a game. What a comeback. Cade and Ausar are the future of this team.