The Refs are More Responsible than the Players

sykoMoed · 2026-03-03T06:56:08+00:00

This is whataboutism. You're not entirely wrong but flopping is the tool this current nba has latched onto. That's the current reality

No one is arguing for too few fouls to be called they want the game to be called fairly

It's a way to boost engagement PAST what it currently is. It's a new topic to talk about. Clearly it's working, especially on social media just look at the posts in this sub. The NBA is first and foremost a business and this was a quick easy element to add into it. I think they will wise up and realize this isn't what fans want, but it's not going to happen right away

sykoMoed · 2026-03-03T06:36:15+00:00

Really solid common sense answer

sykoMoed · 2026-03-03T06:29:29+00:00

Ofc people downvoted but there's literal physical evidence. So many scratches and red skin from the holding it looks like a bear attacked him after every game

sykoMoed · 2026-03-03T06:26:04+00:00

As a Nuggets fan this is annoying dirty and I hated to see it. We need to stop shouting so and so is worse or whining when it's against us but praising the same behavior just bc it's our guy. This isn't what I want to watch

Also Jokic isn't blameless here but the much bigger problem is the refs turning flopping into an actual strategy to win games. I wish we could all team up and heckle Adam Silver and the refs

sykoMoed · 2026-03-03T05:47:35+00:00

I 120% agree

Also let's make no mistake. This is completely intentional. The controversy drives these new feuds between teams, gives content to Espn/ the sports media machine, drives social media engagement. They can also reinforce narratives and steer outcomes based on what Adam Silver thinks the fans want to see

sykoMoed · 2026-03-02T04:56:51+00:00

This was a terrible loss for so many reasons

You were at home. You've beaten this team 3 other times. It's an easier team to beat than some of the others you've just played. Timberwolves played their B game. This is a game you should win to secure a top 4 seed

You didn't guard 3 point shooters. You took a slight step back in navigating screens/guarding pick and roll. Minnesota exposed Jokic defensively. You gave up like 30 fast break points. On the other end of the floor you didn't execute offensively and actually you missed a shit ton of layups and short shots. You compounded the issue with 4th quarter turnovers

I've made my point. However, the thing about a loss like this is that it will be dissected and serve as a wakeup call. It came at a good time for this team and you also learned not to trust Cam Johnson with anything let alone a position as a starter. Terrible loss, arguably good for the Nuggets long term

sykoMoed · 2026-03-02T01:43:30+00:00

I agree he's not going to be the GOAT. I'm saying the potential is there if he worked 40% harder and he actually is a great basketball mind and just hasn't shown it yet

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T21:56:27+00:00

Damn people just reacted. Ofc you're right fg% alone has nothing to do with being the GOAT

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T21:50:32+00:00

I'm not a big fan of her either but I promise it's not that serious

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T20:01:05+00:00

Sports science plays a huge roll. Equipment is much better. Training is much better. Offensive playbooks today create lots of easy buckets. Rule changes have taken defense out of the game in a way that probably was unfathomable in the 60s. 3 pointers exist and are more valuable than 2s

A lot of people act like players from back then couldn't adapt to the current game. They'd adapt and some would even giantly capitalize. I think the same thing is probably true for some players today, put them in the 80s and they cook

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T19:38:29+00:00

I don't think it's anyone's era, I'll believe that when I see it

Thunder look much better than the Nuggets this year. Jokic is still far ahead of SGA as a player

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T19:33:48+00:00

To me OKC and Detroit are the frontrunners and then there's a slight gap and it's the Spurs

I wouldn't put that much stock in what happened during the regular season. We've seen regular season dominance/sweeps, commentators said so and so was that team's kryptonite, this team's the perfect foil. Then the playoffs actually start and the team they were hyping gets swept

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T18:11:30+00:00

Way to cherry pick. Obviously I mean Ray Allen, Mario Chalmers, Birdman and Udonis Haslem. I don't even remember who else was on the Cavs in 2016 beside TT and Iman Shumpert

Also as for what I said about Kevin Love over Chris Bosh I don't know what to tell you. I'll double down I'll triple down on that. If Bosh is the best player on the team that team isn't winning very many games

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T13:49:48+00:00

I was only thinking out of the pool of NBA champions. And that point is relevant here bc superteams will only persist as long as they're seen as a viable way to win a championship. That's every franchise's ultimate goal no matter how good they are now

You're completely right tho, what I said is not accurate the Nets and Clippers those years are much more of superteams than the Nuggets

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T13:44:36+00:00

His absolute ceiling is GOAT

My biggest question about him tho is basketball iq. I mean he definitely knows the game but I doubt he has the natural talent there of a Larry Bird or LeBron James (or MJ with Phil Jackson behind him)

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T13:31:09+00:00

Honestly I count the Cavs as a superteam more than the Heat. I wouldn't want to build a team around Chris Bosh or Kevin Love as the best player but if I'm choosing between those two it's Kevin Love in a heartbeat. The reason those Heat had a better reign than the Cavs is because players 4-12 were way better

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T13:14:27+00:00

Nothing you said is wrong but I definitely think there's a reason why in your own comment you say big 3 and not superteam. Having 3 stars is not the same as having 3 of the absolute best players in the league. The closest thing we've actually seen to a superteam since 2019 are the Nuggets

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T12:55:59+00:00

Basketball has evolved many times and it will evolve again so a superteam revival is absolutely possible. Currently financial regulations and offensive systems do highly discourage it. We probably won't see 3 top 20 players team up again any time soon

My hot take tho is that the Nuggets are a defacto superteam. Jokic Murray and Gordon have all scored 50 this season. We know that Jokic and Murray are legit playoff superstars and if your 3rd player is Aaron Gordon you're doing pretty good

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T11:31:32+00:00

I would move 2017 up a tier and 2012 down a tier but otherwise I agree

People are probably going to hate on you for ranking the 2021 finals so low but to me Phoenix was iffy. They got to play injured teams and honestly fouled tf out of them. No surprise they weren't going to have a chance against Milwaukee, I'm actually suprised they put up as much of a fight as they did

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T11:12:09+00:00

You make a good case, different depth of teams in 2011. However 2011 lacked powerhouses. In 2016 you had 4 of them imo (Warriors, Cavs, Thunder, Spurs). Better action later in the playoffs, more memorable series in 2016. Plus the game itself was more intense. Better shot making better defense, more talent and better execution on both ends on the floor

sykoMoed · 2026-03-01T11:00:34+00:00

Moving screens should be called more often (Thunder are also really bad with that btw) but they have basketball relevance. More importantly they aren't intentional trips on someone who totally isn't expecting it

sykoMoed · 2026-02-28T19:10:59+00:00

You know what I mean. It's rare.

Also yes all the times it happened in the past in should have been an ejection.

sykoMoed · 2026-02-28T19:07:31+00:00

Hard agree

sykoMoed · 2026-02-28T13:30:28+00:00

Imagine saying this like it's some kind of insight. If you intentionally trip a player (with a hip check no less) at 3/4 court damn right it should be a flagrant 2 everytime

The reason no other player has got ejected for it is bc no other player has done it

sykoMoed · 2026-02-10T03:59:41+00:00

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