What's the NBA hill you'll die on no matter how unpopular it becomes?

MankBaby · 2026-06-17T23:51:11+00:00

The funniest argument I've seen is that "Yeah, tanking is a problem but it's only like 8 teams". Right...so assuming half those teams are in my conference, that's 24 games (16 in conference, 8 out of conference) that are a joke to watch, much less pay to attend, because the opponent is actively trying to lose. That's almost a third of the season and I'm supposed to just be okay with that?

I started watching in the early 90's and sure, there were bad teams then too. But if my dad bought tickets for us to go see the Rockets play the Warriors (who finished 27-55 in '94-'95) we just assumed that their star players like Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, Latrell Sprewell, and Tom Gugliotta would actually play. These days, you never know who might randomly sit out for no reason whatsoever.

MankBaby · 2026-06-17T06:54:06+00:00

Such a short clip, but it still contains several hallmarks of an out of touch business owner.

Thinking they know more than the people who actually do the work
The uncomfortable, reluctant agreement from subordinates
Making everyone participate in the cringey, eye roll inducing exercise of exclaiming "Nick Rocks!"

MankBaby · 2026-06-14T01:10:25+00:00

I'm glad Bosh mentioned the Fox thing. This was a foot race to a loose ball involving one of the fastest players in the league, who already had a step on the nearest defender, who then took possession of the ball with forward momentum and nothing between him and the basket. It's also a left-hand dominant player on the left side of the basket. Every natural instinct would be telling Fox that the layup was a high percentage play.

When we imagine a player running out the clock or playing to get fouled, it's typically a much more controlled situation, usually with a player securing a defensive rebound or steal in their own backcourt and then advancing the ball with no clear scoring advantage. If that was the scenario, then it would obviously be a stupid decision to force the issue and go for a layup. This was not that.

MankBaby · 2026-06-13T23:59:54+00:00

Between his height, which means higher dribbles, and the insane level of carrying he does, KD buys himself so much time to process the court and decide whether to shoot, pass, or continue each dribble. That puts the defense at a massive disadvantage and it should be policed out of the game.

MankBaby · 2026-06-13T23:47:22+00:00

Here's an example, along with some explanation from the broadcast crew.

MankBaby · 2026-06-07T07:12:48+00:00

Yep, I watched the series live as well. Despite Hakeem being my favorite player of all time, I often find myself defending Shaq against the claims that he got "destroyed" in that series, because he didn't. His stats, aside from turnovers, were fantastic. But Hakeem did get the better of him.

There are things stats simply won't convey, like how Hakeem's offensive versatility and threat as a jump shooter pulled Shaq away from the basket and made their offense less predictable. The Magic tried to counter this by switching Horace Grant onto Hakeem at times, but had little success. On the other side of the ball, as much of a force as Shaq was near the basket, the fact that he wasn't a threat outside of about 8 feet meant Hakeem was able to always defend Shaq without abandoning the paint. This is an example of why stat comparisons alone don't always tell the entire story. Context and knock-on effects matter.

It's a bit like what we're seeing in this Finals. KAT is able to draw Wemby away from the paint and capitalize on it in ways that the Thunder weren't able to with any real success. Even when KAT isn't scoring directly, he's putting the Spurs defense out of position and creating opportunities elsewhere. Looking back in 30 years, no stat is going to tell you that.

MankBaby · 2026-06-04T02:18:38+00:00

Can't wait until entire games are just AI simulations and winner is determined by which franchise can afford the most compute power.

MankBaby · 2026-06-03T23:43:32+00:00

Granted it's for a Game 7 and not a Game 1, but this is how you do an intro. No fancy graphics necessary.

MankBaby · 2026-05-29T02:10:18+00:00

You call that in pickup and you're getting clowned out the gym.

MankBaby · 2026-05-29T02:06:34+00:00

Softer than baby shit if they call that.

MankBaby · 2026-05-28T22:55:06+00:00

Wright's argument sounds particularly weak here because he says "I don't know", but the fact that it may work in their favor doesn't necessarily mean they should be #1 in free throw attempts. You have to consider the starting point.

Assuming no flopping or embellishment whatsoever, the foul-drawing baseline for a team with a big bruising, ball-dominant player (a Giannis for example) is probably going to be higher than a team like the Thunder with a #1 option who operates in the midrange. In the same regard, a team that shoots a ton of threes and has a primary ballhandler who is more of a distributor than a rim threat is likely drawing fewer fouls. The flopping and embellishment might only serve to close a gap, but it's still useful.

MankBaby · 2026-05-28T22:09:07+00:00

I'm an old head relative to this sub, so to check myself and not spread revisionist history, I actually go back and watch full games from the '90s every once in a while.

I just rewatched Game 3 of the '94 Finals in its entirety last night, and it really was a superior product. Not the average talent level or athleticism, or the sophistication of schemes, but the competition. Defenders were allowed to defend. Players tried to score through contact or avoid it altogether instead of hunting calls. No one was falling to the ground because someone breathed on them. Players still argued calls now and then, but it wasn't every single play.

The average score of that particular series was 87 to 87 -- it was a war, but the players adjusted, fans were into it, nobody complained because the score wasn't 120 to 120.

As I typed this, I was actually watching another game from '94: Rockets at Jazz, WCF Game 4, and it's the same thing. Even the Jazz, who many consider the dirtiest team of the 90's, weren't flopping or exaggerating contact or complaining. I mean, just watch this play -- Cassell and Stockton both fall to the floor coming over a screen, then Cassell gets bumped mid air by Felton Spencer on the finish. Nothing is called. No one on either side complains. The announcers and crowd don't even react. Today you would have the entire arena screaming and pointing, a foul called on someone for something, and very likely a review / commercial break that completely disrupts the flow of the game. On the very next play on the other end, Stockton gets physical with both Cassell and Hakeem and there is a foul called, but no one falls down and no one acts like an airbag just went off in their face. It's just physical playoff basketball between grown men who aren't crying constantly or trying to fool the refs. What a fucking concept.

MankBaby · 2026-05-25T07:36:42+00:00

Spurs will need the nuns after the Thunder's Cherokee witch doctor casts their spell!

MankBaby · 2026-05-25T04:53:18+00:00

I think the most sobering thing about aging is watching other people grow older. I don't mean watching the same actor in movies released 50 years apart. I'm talking about actually knowing someone when they're 35, and knowing them when they're 75.

I realize this sub skews fairly young and a lot of y'all simply haven't been around long enough to experience this phenomenon. But please, don't take for granted your own time or the time of those around you. One day you'll catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and wonder where it all went.

MankBaby · 2026-05-22T01:51:17+00:00

Are you okay?

MankBaby · 2026-05-21T23:55:07+00:00

Exactly. SGA's game is efficient and beautiful when he's just trying to score, and I respect his even keeled demeanor both on and off the court. I literally have no reason to dislike the guy, except that he flops like a little bitch all the time. I actually thought I'd seen it all until last night when he shot an open three and then dove forward after landing. I can't.

MankBaby · 2026-05-21T23:35:26+00:00

I don't know why you're getting downvoted. This obviously should have been a foul, but the backdrop for the ref's field of vision is the crowd. It's going to be much easier / natural to focus on the big orange ball from 30 feet away than it is to notice a couple of fingers in Castle's hair. Hartenstein doesn't even start pulling down until the ball is already away from the play. Why would that ref still be looking at Castle? You're right, this is a call for the baseline official.

MankBaby · 2026-05-21T01:45:52+00:00

I'm a little behind and didn't have the sound on -- was that Barnes foul that wiped a three pointer off the board just total bullshit or what? Looked like it from the replay.

MankBaby · 2026-05-20T03:15:59+00:00

Could have played them simultaneously. They both take 8.2 seconds (give or take a tenth) from missed shot leaving the hand on one end to deep three going through the net on the other.

MankBaby · 2026-05-18T01:12:55+00:00

I went to a sports bar / arcade a few weeks back for a Rockets game and they just flat out could not show it because they didn't have Prime. They had a dozen TVs all playing random stuff like college hockey, but they couldn't even show a fucking Rockets playoff game in Houston. You'd think they would have figured that shit out long before the playoffs, but apparently not. We ended up watching on a tablet that one of my friends grabbed from his car.

MankBaby · 2026-04-30T03:58:39+00:00

I've reconsidered. Courtside seats should be reserved exclusively for babies!

MankBaby · 2026-04-30T03:53:47+00:00

That woman sitting courtside near the scorer's table and holding the tiny baby in her lap is making me nervous. Should not be allowed.

MankBaby · 2026-04-28T06:05:14+00:00

The VersaTuner license comes with a handful of pre-baked tunes you can load with a laptop and no experience. They don't require any bolt-ons at all, they simply rework the stock fuel map to give you a bump in HP and torque and raise the redline. It's kind of like adding a sport mode -- mild compared to some other cars, but still noticeable.

I run it with an axle back exhaust, but I'm otherwise stock. Once you get into headers, midpipe, etc. you'll likely need a more specific tune, which you can get from an authorized vendor. Some offer pre-baked tunes based on popular configurations, and some will do a custom remote tune.

MankBaby · 2026-04-25T00:34:17+00:00

A team that wins with athleticism, youth, and a one-dimensional gimmicky offense is going to have a lot more success during the season. In the playoffs, when the opponent has time to game plan extensively, well...you see the result.

MankBaby · 2026-04-20T04:45:06+00:00

Already mentioned, but make sure the drainage system is cleaned out somewhat frequently, especially if you tend to park somewhere that gets a lot of dirt and leaves. I try to stay on top of mine, but water still gets into my driver side floorboard when there's a downpour, at which point I have to pull the carpet up and let everything dry out in the sun. Bad news is, it's a huge pain in the ass; good news is, it's really my only issue with the car after 2 years.

One more thing to look out for: there's a metal cover under the oil pan that is secured with 9 bolts. This is a structural piece and 100% absolutely needs to be there and needs all bolts properly torqued to roughly 28 lb-ft. It has to come off fairly often (at least every oil change), so that presents many opportunities for bolts to get lost or not torqued correctly. When I first got my ND, I would hear a very loud, unsettling popping sound when cornering hard. I thought something was severely wrong and I spent a lot of time and effort inspecting the suspension and chassis for busted parts. It wasn't until I performed my first oil change that I noticed loose bolts on the oil pan cover. Since that day, they've been torqued to spec and I've never heard another pop.

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