NBA Random

And other things related to basketball
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#16

Post by JazzNU »

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Re: Re: NBA Random

#17

Post by ponchi101 »

Conflict of feelings. I would like Griffin to win a ring. I don't want Harden to.
I guess they are the favorites in the East, if they stay healthy.
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#18

Post by JazzNU »

Steph is having a night. It's been great.

The 3-point contest has always been my favorite, even before they got stars to compete in it. I like the changes they've made, and love that they made it 2 rounds this year with the game being played right after. Mike Conley was great, I'm glad he was able to get his moment there before Steph stole every ounce of his thunder.
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#19

Post by ponchi101 »

My take: Conley has been an underrated player all of his career, because he was in Memphis. I am rooting for Utah this year because they have several players that I would like to see win a ring, Conley being one. Plus, I would love to hear Mitchell ask Shaq "what do you say now?"
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#20

Post by ti-amie »

ponchi101 wrote: Mon Mar 08, 2021 3:14 am My take: Conley has been an underrated player all of his career, because he was in Memphis. I am rooting for Utah this year because they have several players that I would like to see win a ring, Conley being one. Plus, I would love to hear Mitchell ask Shaq "what do you say now?"
You're the second person to say Utah is the team to watch this year. Interesting.
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#21

Post by ponchi101 »

I am not saying Utah is the team to watch. When the Lakers get AD back, they are the defending champions and I would not bet against them. I am saying I am rooting for Utah, which is different. Remember my track record regarding predictions ;)
Even Philly would be great. They also have a few players that I enjoy and it would mean Danny Green would get a fourth ring with a different team (and five in total, I think). I don't like Embid but I can live with him.
But unless AD does not come back, I do not see anybody taking down LA in 7 games.
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Re: Re: NBA Random

#22

Post by JazzNU »

The Nets can take down the Lakers in 7 with AD. Will it happen? Who knows, it's a bit of a wild card once we get there, the Cavs did win it that one year. But they can do it, and even more likely now with Blake and DeAndre both upping their defensive scheme. DeAndre gets forgotten and should never be. I wouldn't count on the Clippers either, though less likely, but if they bring their A game, stranger things have happened.

The Jazz. I'll believe it when I see it. I've never liked the Jazz as a team because Utah and sheesh, UTAH! But I've liked Mike since college. I like Donovan. I've liked Quin since his Mizzou days. But they don't tend to get it done in the playoffs when they are supposed to. They show up somewhat, but it doesn't can't get them to the finish line. They are a prove it team. You want us to believe you can do it? Prove it to us by actually doing it, not just saying it and showing us something in the regular season. People take the Heat seriously now even though they are a shell of themselves this season with injury and covid, because they proved it last year. Utah has been great this year in the playoffs with this lineup. It's the regular season, we know Utah is good in the regular season, they've been good for several years. No one really owes them special recognition for ranking good in the regular season. Let's see how they do when it really counts.

Honestly, with the way Donovan and Rudy are acting, not getting to the Finals may sink chances of changing their narrative for this particular lineup. And if they keep talking, it's going to be Title or Bust soon enough as a put up or shut up.
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Re: NBA Random

#23

Post by ponchi101 »

I have grown a soft spot for UTAH (the state) since my place is close to it and the little traveling I have done there has been very nice. South Utah is very liberal; towns like Moab are actually little sanctuaries for open minded people. Example: everybody was smoking pot there, and we had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant called "Twisted Sistahs", where I was the only man holding hands with a woman (there were gay couples of both sexes). Salt Lake City seems to be the stronghold for retrograde thinking.
Still, BB wise: what you say. They are playing great but they remind me of the 1990's Atlanta Braves: a team built to win a regular season but with no proven record in the post season. The other west teams all have their issues so I guess the Lakers (with AD) get to the finals with no problems, and then Phila and Brooklyn slug it out for the final.
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Re: NBA Random

#24

Post by JazzNU »

So, I'm sure what you're saying is true. For you. But it wouldn't necessarily be for me. I've said this before, but liberal should never be confused with being an okay place for a black person to visit and live. The sad truth. Oregon is a liberal state, but it's also a state built to be for whites only and that still resonates there in many ways, so you have to be very careful about where you are. The same for Utah. They, and the Mormon Church have a truly shaky recent past where black people are concerned. Both states have made progress for sure, but long way to go, their respective histories making it longer than it should've been.

Now I can't go just anywhere in general, to be clear, no matter the state. I can tell you some very shaky areas in PA, NY, and MA with no problem. So it's not just the south or Oregon or Utah. But the lack of diversity in Oregon and Utah truly doesn't help matters.
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Re: NBA Random

#25

Post by Suliso »

JazzNu: simply out of curiosity have you been to Utah? I haven't, but would love to for the nature.

I went to grad school in Oregon. Found it a pleasant place to live, but of course I'm a tall white guy...
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Re: NBA Random

#26

Post by JazzNU »

Never been to Utah. Don't truly have an interest in going, though for something specific I would. Like if I had an opportunity to go to the Sundance Film Festival especially if it was with a friend that worked in the industry, I'd go in a heartbeat.

From everything I've seen and heard, almost everything outdoor is beautiful there.

Oregon. I know people that love it there, especially Portland and Eugene. But, yeah, all these positive things are coming from white people so hard to get a read on if I'd be more comfortable there now than on a brief visit I had there many moons ago.
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Re: NBA Random

#27

Post by Suliso »

I guess there is no other way to check than by trying again. :)

I'd speculate also that to some extent these things depend on how one is treated and to some how one feels about sticking out visually/culturally. I personally don't care as long as it's not physically unsafe. Have spent a couple of months in India rarely seeing any white people on streets and none at all at work.
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Re: NBA Random

#28

Post by JazzNU »

It's definitely about treatment and not sticking out. I'm used to being one of a small number of black people, I grew up in an overwhelmingly white suburb of Philly. A big change from San Francisco where I'm originally from. My college and grad school where the same as junior high and high school. I'm well versed in the setting. But certain ones are uncomfortable and others are not. It's not just the makeup, it's the people themselves. Some see black as a threat, others don't. Some feel empowered to demean, others do not. The region tends to play a factor in whether it's kind of okay and accepted or frowned upon to do that.

My nephew was in India for 3 weeks with his with his private school and got called all manner of racial slurs while there. Would've come home early if he could've. I know other black people who have visited India and had similar experiences or worse. My white friends have experiences similar to yours when visiting there.

When I visited Europe back in high school, my friend and I, at times, stuck out like a sore thumb, on a few occasions it was like we were an exhibit at the zoo. Luckily, that was rare, but it happened in the smallest towns sometimes. Like the strangest thing was when we were standing in line at a store in a small German town, my friend shifted her eyes to stare at me somewhat alarmed because she was trying to figure out if I was touching her hair, but my hands were in front of me, so was it not me touching her hair? Because someone definitely was. I was not. The two women behind us were. Holding and stroking her hair to get a feel for it. They were fascinated by the braids she had and felt it okay to touch. It ended up being okay though super bizarre and they proceeded to ask us all these questions about her hair. But the energy of these small towns was never one that was threatening or concerning, it was more curious and naive.

Plenty of positive stories among friends and family visiting different places in the world (my trip to Europe counts among the positive experiences FYI). Same here in the US. But going just any place and assuming it will be okay because it was for someone else, isn't something that is good to rely on. It's not necessarily an indicator of how things will go for me and those that look like me. Unsafe entails more than just the crime rate of an area unfortunately. But I'd love to live in that Utopia one day.
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Re: NBA Random

#29

Post by Suliso »

JazzNU wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 2:39 am
My nephew was in India for 3 weeks with his with his private school and got called all manner of racial slurs while there. Would've come home early if he could've. I know other black people who have visited India and had similar experiences or worse. My white friends have experiences similar to yours when visiting there.
Not surprised at all I'm afraid. They treat even their own darker skinned citizens with prejudice. Racism is not limited to white people... The Middle East is another area pleasant to me, but not necessarily for you. I'm yet to visit a fully black area (other than few neighbourhoods in US).
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Re: NBA Random

#30

Post by JazzNU »

I have friends and cousins that have visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai in recent years. Great experiences thus far I'm happy to report. I don't know a ton that visited other areas of the Middle East other than Doha and Turkey (also great experiences). Definitely heard stories of visits that went good overall, but a few things didn't go so great, but those were several years ago so hopefully that won't be as common as it once was in that region.

The only place in the Middle East I've truly thought I'd visit at some point is Turkey (though to be fair, I think of it as Europe). With a possibility of maybe going to Jordan at one point. I have several college friends from both.
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