2026 NBA Playoffs thread
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DanOregon
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A new owner should make the call on retaining a successful interim HC, but Dundon dragged his feet. Glad Splitter picked up on the vibes and went where he was wanted, and will be paid.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49072541/sources-bulls-finalizing-hire-tiago-splitter-head-coach
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49072541/sources-bulls-finalizing-hire-tiago-splitter-head-coach
BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo
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Also piggybacking on this...it's always impressive when a team just barges through its championship window. The Knicks should be really good for a few more years. And you could easily spin a loss to a superior on-paper team like the Spurs or Thunder as the last step the Knicks had to take to figure out how to win.
But also, **** that ****. The window always closes before anyone knows it. The Mets were done as soon as the World Series ended in 2015. The Cubs and Cleveland never made it back to the World Series after 2016. The Nationals havent had a winning record since they won the 2019 World Series. The Bengals haven't made it back to the Super Bowl since 2021. Maybe the Spurs win the next four titles. Or maybe Brunson twists an ankle on the first day of training camp next year and plays the season at 50%. Maybe maybe maybe. It's impressive to just barge through, ride a red-hot run and win it all.
Sam Mills 51
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New owner should also learn his market, and realize that what we did was an outright insult.
Financially, there was no decision for Splitter.
Blazers fans, hope that Dundon doesn't try to add such duties to the head coach as cleaning up the arena or cleaning the team's laundry. If you think I'm kidding, go ask Don Waddell of the Columbus Blue Jackets (when he was GM of the Carolina Hurricanes, he also had to oversee all arena issues since that was what he was originally hired for).
I'm not on the torch Mitch Johnson wagon.
Think about the start of the 2025-2026 season:
1. the Spurs had not been to the playoffs in 6 years;
2. Wemby had not finished a season in either of his first 2 years;
3. the long shadow of Pop was still there; and
4. the Spurs had come off a 36(?) win season.
The Spurs won over 60 games,
beat the defending champs in 7 games, coming back from 3-2, won Game 7 on the road, and
then led every game by double digits in The Finals.
That's an amazing achievement and would stack up against any coach who ever took over a 36 win team.
Could he have made some adjustments? Probably. But don't forget the Butterfly Effect, you cannot assume that everything else stays the same and you simply add the adjustment. E.g. Wemby played too many mins in Gm. 4, say you sit him for 5 more minutes, what if the Knicks make a 25-5 run during that time?
Was it coaching that told Fox (a well seasoned vet) to commit 2 awful TOs in the last 2 mins of Gm. 4 and then shoot the layup? If Fox pulls it out, the Spurs run around 4-7 secs off the clock and the odds of the Spurs winning goes way up IMHO.
I think the Spurs should be thrilled with Mitch Johnson's job and simply look ahead. (I know there's no guarantee of getting there again, see Marino, Barkley, Harden, etc.)
BitterYoungMatador2
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You'd think Dundon would at least try to play nice until he gets his arena renovations deal.
Unless his plan is to not even try to keep them in Portland.
Unless his plan is to not even try to keep them in Portland.
BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo
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A reminder this has been a great weekend for bad people to win championships.
DanOregon
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I could see the City of Portland screwing it up. The Blazers take up 50 dates at Moda, 60 in a good year. It should be a no-brainer. Every arena needs "work" after 30 years. And if you can't make an arena work economically, you're not trying.
The City was gifted the arena by Paul Allen, who built it with his own money. Portland needs to understand that the free ride is over.
But the other coaching finalists for the Blazers certainly don't seem to be an obvious "upgrade" from Splitter given the availability of coaches who have made conference finals in recent years. The team seems ready to make the next step, which usually requires someone not getting their first shot at a coaching gig.
The City was gifted the arena by Paul Allen, who built it with his own money. Portland needs to understand that the free ride is over.
But the other coaching finalists for the Blazers certainly don't seem to be an obvious "upgrade" from Splitter given the availability of coaches who have made conference finals in recent years. The team seems ready to make the next step, which usually requires someone not getting their first shot at a coaching gig.
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Otherwise known as "a retread" right? And if it's Dundon, a low-priced, desperate candidate.
Hmmm.... Mark Jackson? Jeff Van Gundy? Willie Green?
Shropshire Slasher
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Where was Phil Jackson as a head coach before replacing Doug Collins?
The Bulls were his first NBA job; he was in the CBA, Cedar Rapids or something like that.
Jake from State Farm
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Albany Patroons
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DanOregon
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The coach of the current world champs is a retread. There are coaches available who have won a playoff series or three. Why they aren't in the mix is weird.
Remember Rasheed's "Ball Don't Lie"? Similarly, stats do not lie.
I knew it was going there, but IMHO Brown should've never been fired from Sac. Atkinson was kinda retread as well.
But I think the Daignault and Mitch Johnson model is a much more likely pathway to success.
BitterYoungMatador2
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Having actually watched the Trail Blazers this year and previous seasons, I think their improvement has more to do with Chauncey being fired than Splitter being hired.
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I see a lot of people giving the Spurs crap for leaving the floor without shaking hands (of the players only Kornet and Barnes stayed. Both have rings and Kornet is a former Knicks who played with Mitchell Robinson). I can’t get too upset — this wasn’t a typical final where the game was in the bag and they scrubs were in and/or a long dribble out. Wemby is a petulant sort and they were all pissed they gave another game away late.
sgreenwell
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What kind of odds would you put on that?
sgreenwell
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I like that Wemby is coming off as a whiny asshole, haha. That's way more interesting than the era of NBA stars we just had, which was "my basketball is my brand and my business."
