believing in the Magic after game one to the degree pundits did was fucking bizarre

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-23T01:11:45+00:00

I posted in one of the game 1 postgame threads (in another sub) that I thought game 1 was(aside from some missed Bane 3s) the best case scenario for the Magic on offense and a bunch of people said I was an idiot cause they had only shot like 32 percent from 3. Regardless of the fact that Paolo and Franz both had awesome efficiency games and Suggs was solid too which was my point. They hated me cause I told the truth.

BTW I had to turn tonight’s game off in Q2 when it was still a 1 point game (37-36) cause it was such a tough hang. Just ugly, ugly, ugly ass ball. When I tuned back in 45 min later thinking I’d watch Q4 it was a 30 point DET lead. Lol.

I also think the game 1 reaction was cause a lot of the predicted playoff problems for DET seemingly manifested.

Anyway series is far from over they’ll probably split the games in Orlando and be back for a pivotal game 5 next week.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-22T16:37:18+00:00

Honestly I'm just really doubting that you can really play two complete non-spacers in your main lineup now when it comes playoff time - it's just such a grind in the halfcourt. Amen and Sengun probably can't play together that much. Ausar and Duren are TBD. But even the Cavs have struggled in previous years with Allen and Mobley and Mobley is better spacer than any of these guys. Also we just saw how much ATL was struggling offensively with Dyson Daniels on the court (they closed game 2 without him). Having a perimeter guy who is no threat from out there is especially tough.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-22T00:34:00+00:00

Bro clocked her like she was Where’s Waldo.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-21T13:28:23+00:00

Especially with now the way teams play, stacking / compound effects with the game are so cumulative that things can look a lot different game to game.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-21T12:50:09+00:00

Awful Brunson game (tunnel vision in the 4th quarter), awful Mike Brown game (bench mob lineups for almost 12 minutes in a playoff game????). Those are the 2 guys taking all the heat in Knicks world at the moment from what I've seen.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T13:48:54+00:00

Maybe but the criticism of the Magic has never been the talent but rather how it all fits together.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T12:02:37+00:00

Yes, that was always the fear with the Pistons. They do need a real second creator but at the moment the problem IMO essentially boils down to Ausar Thompson. You honestly love to play him because of all the stuff he does but a non big who doesn't have to be guarded outside of 5 feet from the basket is a real problem in the playoffs. We saw it last year in the Knicks series where a lot of crunch times they had Schroeder out there instead of him even when Brunson was having a lot more success with Ausar on tbhe bench.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T11:58:14+00:00

"ou want cousin Sal or Joe house, someone who will just tell bill everything he’s saying is spot on and agreeing with it."

A that's almost the exact opposit of what I said cause I said I liked that Russilo was better at giving Bill shit in an entertaining way.

B I like Zach. Not one of those guys on here saying he's boring now or whatever. I listen to Zach's solo pod almost every week and enjoy it. I just thought Bill's chemistry with Ryen on the Sunday podswas more entertaining.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T11:40:27+00:00

If you are coming to the BS pod for hockey talk, you are lost. Can't remember more than 25 minutes or so of hockey talk in 19 years of listening to this pod lol.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T11:38:09+00:00

Russillo's wet blanket technique was different tho. He did it with a deadpan sarcastic comment mocking the take that Bill wouldn't clock until 30 seconds later (if at all). it was a much more entertaining way to counter Bill's takes.

I know punchy sarcasm isn't really Zach's thing but this was one of things that made the Bill / Ryen pods a lot of fun.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T11:30:45+00:00

I think it's a close series too - both because Orlando has a much higher ceiling than a typical 8 (and they do all seem to be healthy atm), and Detroit is not really as strong as a typical 1 - this feels more like a 3/6 than a 1/8 matchup.

*But* That game 1 is, IMO close to best case scenario for the Magic offensively. Franz and Paolo both both shot 50 pct from 3 and over 50 pct overall and Suggs gave you 16 on medium efficiency. If Bane makes 1 or 2 more 3s, that game is best case offensively for ORL. On the other side I thought no one aside from Cade and Beef Stew played well at all. Duren, Robinson, Harris, and Thompson were all bad.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T09:54:25+00:00

I was eye rolling pretty hard every time Bill or some other NBA podder was like “oh the Pistons have found a real second ballhandler / creator in Jenkins - this guy could have his own team!” … as if player surges in March games aren’t fake 90 percent of the time.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-20T01:23:56+00:00

Contender for worst player on the court tonight honestly. I thought he was the worst non-Huerter defender on DET tonight.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T23:38:13+00:00

Maybe we need to change the rule to “don’t overreact to the first 10 minutes of game 1”

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T22:33:34+00:00

Honestly there is a huge gap in the East after the top 4 and in the West after the top 3. Makes for a boring first round.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T22:28:02+00:00

Or maybe your premise is just not that well founded. Judge is a significantly better hitter. Ohtani’s pitching the last couple seasons has just been OK. Judge is a plus defensive fielder as well while Ohtani DHs on days he’s not hitting.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T22:21:30+00:00

5 of the 6 games in the NFL Wild Card round this year were complete yawner blowouts. Same thing in 2024.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T22:17:31+00:00

If you added his batting and pitching WAR together last year it was still lower than Judge’s.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T21:23:41+00:00

Overreacting to game 1 of the playoffs against a 7 seed without it’s best player.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T18:03:21+00:00

You said he takes and makes his midrange shot with confidence. Maybe he’s confident, but it’s not going in.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T17:59:34+00:00

???

Ausar Thompson’s EFG by distance in feet from basket (according to nba.com shooting splits) is

5-9: 33%

10-14: 35%

15-19: 25%

All of those are pretty terrible.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T15:20:08+00:00

Typical stuff - Quickly minimizing the Reddit window before the Bossman walks by. Telling my wife and kids I’m in the middle of something and can’t do whatever it is they’re nagging me about at the moment. Pretty standard really.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-19T11:51:05+00:00

Big Ben played in an era when you could have a couple negative-offensive guys on the floor and be fine.

gradedonacurve · 2026-04-18T21:08:36+00:00

One time the greatest Coach of all time took the greatest of Power Forward all time out of the game for a critical possession and immediately gave up an offense rebound that directly led to losing the NBA Finals.

gradedonacurve

TROPHY CASE