Game 48: Kings @ Cavs 2/5/2024

[Iwasawitness]

That "more first" has to be in the post season. They've reached the #2 seed at points in the previous 2 regular seasons, it didn't make much of a difference come April.

I agree, but I'm not too worried about that right now. I had major concerns going into the postseason last year due to the way the roster was constructed and how we were winning our games and the fact that we just couldn't beat the top teams in the league. We also didn't have much depth. That isn't the case this year. We've beaten Milwaukee, Clippers, Philly, Denver (I don't care that they were missing Murray... we were missing Mitchell and we were on the end of a three game road trip), New York (with Garland and Allen missing), and now we just beat Sacramento, who has won the last four meetings against us. I see a team this year with much more depth. I see a coach in Bickerstaff who has at least improved on adjustments. We have an easier schedule for the rest of the year, if we stay healthy then we shouldn't have any problem maintaining top four status, thus giving up homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Last year I thought we were a first round exit. This year I wouldn't be surprised if we made it to the conference finals.

With that said, if we face the Knicks again, we're royally ****.

I'm most worried, in the first round at least, of facing the Sixers if they fall in the standings while Embiid is out but get him back in time for the playoffs. They're only 3 games ahead of the 6th seed and 3.5 ahead of the 7th seed. (Imagine them losing the first play-in game, winning the second, and facing the #1 seed in the first round?)

The Knicks missing Mitchell Robinson and swapping out so much of their roster means I'm not worried about a series against them playing out like last year. They might still beat us, but the matchup is just going to be different.

Our schedule is actually two halves from here-- easy matchups for the next month (but with lots of back-to-backs), then a big stretch against mostly pretty good teams that are on the road or a lone home game until our last three games in April.

The Sixers are a team I would feel the most comfortable going up against. Embiid trying his foul baiting tactics against Mobley and Allen? Yeah have fun with that.

The Knicks in the other hand terrify me. On top of the fact that Robinson should be back before the playoffs, they now have OG who has made Mitchell’s life hell. Yeah they don’t have as much depth, but they still have both centers and Randle so offensive rebounding will be a problem for us. They are still a great defensive team too. I just don’t like that matchup at all.

[toooskies]

I agree, but I'm not too worried about that right now. I had major concerns going into the postseason last year due to the way the roster was constructed and how we were winning our games and the fact that we just couldn't beat the top teams in the league. We also didn't have much depth. That isn't the case this year. We've beaten Milwaukee, Clippers, Philly, Denver (I don't care that they were missing Murray... we were missing Mitchell and we were on the end of a three game road trip), New York (with Garland and Allen missing), and now we just beat Sacramento, who has won the last four meetings against us. I see a team this year with much more depth. I see a coach in Bickerstaff who has at least improved on adjustments. We have an easier schedule for the rest of the year, if we stay healthy then we shouldn't have any problem maintaining top four status, thus giving up homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Last year I thought we were a first round exit. This year I wouldn't be surprised if we made it to the conference finals.

With that said, if we face the Knicks again, we're royally ****.

I'm most worried, in the first round at least, of facing the Sixers if they fall in the standings while Embiid is out but get him back in time for the playoffs. They're only 3 games ahead of the 6th seed and 3.5 ahead of the 7th seed. (Imagine them losing the first play-in game, winning the second, and facing the #1 seed in the first round?)

The Knicks missing Mitchell Robinson and swapping out so much of their roster means I'm not worried about a series against them playing out like last year. They might still beat us, but the matchup is just going to be different.

Our schedule is actually two halves from here-- easy matchups for the next month (but with lots of back-to-backs), then a big stretch against mostly pretty good teams that are on the road or a lone home game until our last three games in April.

The Sixers are a team I would feel the most comfortable going up against. Embiid trying his foul baiting tactics against Mobley and Allen? Yeah have fun with that.

The Knicks in the other hand terrify me. On top of the fact that Robinson should be back before the playoffs, they now have OG who has made Mitchell’s life hell. Yeah they don’t have as much depth, but they still have both centers and Randle so offensive rebounding will be a problem for us. They are still a great defensive team too. I just don’t like that matchup at all.

Embiid is a foul baiter but he isn't JUST a foul baiter. He'd be a top player in the league even if he didn't foul bait.

Just because the NBA didn't give the Knicks a disabled player exception doesn't mean Robinson is going to be back, and even if he is, there is no guarantee that he'll be any good. The NBA refusing the DPE was due to them not being sure Robinson would be out until at least mid-June (i.e. the Finals). To be any good in round 1 or 2, he needs to be back by the end of March at the latest. That's a big difference.

OG is a threat but remember he's replacing Barrett who burned us enough on offense last year. Miles McBride might have a lot tougher time than Quickley in his first real playoff reps.

Mitchell's stats against the Knicks in the playoffs were worse than his stats against Toronto last year.

All of this is to say-- the Knicks are going to be a different team, they'd play us differently, and hopefully we've developed counters to last year's strategies as well.

[JonFromVA]

I'm not worried about who we face, I don't own the team, I've got no money on the team, I don't play for the team, but the playoffs can wait. The regular season has been a lot of fun lately.

[JujitsuFlip]

I agree, but I'm not too worried about that right now. I had major concerns going into the postseason last year due to the way the roster was constructed and how we were winning our games and the fact that we just couldn't beat the top teams in the league. We also didn't have much depth. That isn't the case this year. We've beaten Milwaukee, Clippers, Philly, Denver (I don't care that they were missing Murray... we were missing Mitchell and we were on the end of a three game road trip), New York (with Garland and Allen missing), and now we just beat Sacramento, who has won the last four meetings against us. I see a team this year with much more depth. I see a coach in Bickerstaff who has at least improved on adjustments. We have an easier schedule for the rest of the year, if we stay healthy then we shouldn't have any problem maintaining top four status, thus giving up homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Last year I thought we were a first round exit. This year I wouldn't be surprised if we made it to the conference finals.

With that said, if we face the Knicks again, we're royally ****.

I'm most worried, in the first round at least, of facing the Sixers if they fall in the standings while Embiid is out but get him back in time for the playoffs. They're only 3 games ahead of the 6th seed and 3.5 ahead of the 7th seed. (Imagine them losing the first play-in game, winning the second, and facing the #1 seed in the first round?)

The Knicks missing Mitchell Robinson and swapping out so much of their roster means I'm not worried about a series against them playing out like last year. They might still beat us, but the matchup is just going to be different.

Our schedule is actually two halves from here-- easy matchups for the next month (but with lots of back-to-backs), then a big stretch against mostly pretty good teams that are on the road or a lone home game until our last three games in April.

The Sixers are a team I would feel the most comfortable going up against. Embiid trying his foul baiting tactics against Mobley and Allen? Yeah have fun with that.

The Knicks in the other hand terrify me. On top of the fact that Robinson should be back before the playoffs, they now have OG who has made Mitchell’s life hell. Yeah they don’t have as much depth, but they still have both centers and Randle so offensive rebounding will be a problem for us. They are still a great defensive team too. I just don’t like that matchup at all.

Yup, i do not want to see the Knicks either. Idc if Robinson, Randle, and OG are all out right now. They would force their way on the court vs the Cavs.