Yeah to be clear I’m not saying the spurs won’t win lol. I’m saying the Thunder don’t have to make any moves if they do end up losing and it doesn’t have to be anything more than oh well we’ll come back next year.
Again, they didn’t have a 7’8 freak lol, but “this is the Celtics league/who can stop Tatum and brown” was said two years ago after their title. They’ve played zero finals games since.
I was going to include that but didn’t want to be mean to you specifically lol and also it feels like that’s died down a bit after Brad Stevens stepped in?
Wemby is so damn good on defense that casual spurs fans think Kornet sucks. I mean he’s not top tier but he’s damn good for a backup. Presti did learn from the spurs after all
He literally went on twitch like two days ago and told Stephen A, Stephen B and Stephen C to go fuck themselves lol. He ain't done yet.
My point is more that he hasn't taken the hint to just shush. Every time he does it, it gives 98.5 another day dedicated to "My favorite season ever"-gate or analyze his relationship with Tatum. He hasn't gotten that the Red Sox suck and the Boston Sports Media has hours and digital column inches to fill. Or he doesn't care and is happy to oblige lol
Wemby was hounded last series and still scored pretty well. The Thunder defense with the swarming guards just has no way to stop the easy alley oops he was getting in overtime. the more consistent thing he brings is his defense, just changes everything. And matches up really well with OKC specifically unless they get really hot from 3. I wouldn’t be that surprised if the Thunder pull off a win, but if Wemby keeps crushing their spirit it might be a short series.
Same. And the thing with the game-to-game changes here is that while player X might shoot better/worse, the thing that likely stays constant is Wemby's defensive impact. He might not block as many shots, but he's not suddenly going to stop impacting everything near and inside the paint.
Having a competent front office is really the biggest difference maker. Wembanyama was a sure thing, but they managed assets around him well to the point they’re contending already. OKC made some of the most lopsided trades of any team in the league and have a ton of assets to retool no matter what happens, and they’re still contenders if they were in a way worse position. All of the other recent championship teams feel like they have no chance to get back there. Celtics traded their depth and now Jaylen Brown is a problem. Bucks messed up with the Dame trade and the Dame waiver, closed the window. Nuggets failed to complement Jokic even after a great off season, now they have to retool. One little mistake really sets the org back years because you have to use more assets to undo it, when you should be using them to push the team further.
That is all true in hindsight. The Celtics did not have a Jaylen brown problem in 2024 lol. We don’t know what will be happening with the spurs or Thunder in 2028.
I feel very confident with the Celtics front office. Brad Stevens has FAR exceeded what I expected out of him as a GM. They can get back.
I remember when I deluded myself into thinking that some of Presti's magic would rub off on Rob Hennigan. Good times! It's really impressive how well he (Presti) has built that team. Obviously he's hit on higher picks, but also all of those guys on the margins. Yes, he's technically only built a single title winner to this point, but I'd take him running my team in a heartbeat. Instead, I'm watching Jeff Weltman take Jett Howard in the lottery.
yeah honestly I feel like the spurs adjustment here is start wemby on the low block if Caruso is going to guard him. If he fronts it’s an oop if he plays behind it’s an uncontested layup/dunk. those entry passes get easier when Fox comes back too