2023-2024 General Game Thread

[All Eyes On Me 1,212]

Heartbreaker. Should’ve won that one. 3 game home losing streak and now we’re only 1 game up of the 6 spot and 2 games up of being in the play-in. We’re past the point of moral victories, so I’m just starting to get pissed off. Our late game execution is inexcusable. If there’s a 50/50 shot Paolo is gonna turn the ball over every time he touches it in crunch time than we have to do something else. Props to JI, Jalen and Moe, they were easily our best players tonight.

Tomorrow night has now become a must win… on to the next one

[orlandoholic 134]

I just finished watching the game, so this is more of a rant…

Agree that this is not excusable! For so many reasons. The rotation was garbage tbh. Ingles was out there for too long. He didn’t do anything the whole game, why keep him as a liability in the game for the last 3 minutes. Coach brought back Isaac and he instantly made the defensive play. Too late imo. Ingles didn’t provide offense. Isaac would have done better! 

We let the Clippers go on two 10-0 runs without taking a timeout. Each time the Clippers went up by 10. We got a 5 point lead and Lue instantly calls a timeout and instantly closes the gap and takes the lead back. That’s coaching!!!

And WHY TF DONT WE USE THE CHALLENGE ???? Both times we would have won. First time the broadcast said we took too long and the second time we just didn’t use it. Both out of bounds plays were crucial. 

On the second possible challenge you don’t need to even consult. You just do it to make sure they got it right!! it was crucial!! 

Im not saying anything about Banchero. He is young and will figure it out. But right now he is playing bad basketball and forcing it too much. He is nowhere near a Doncic or Lebron as a playmaker, who read the game at an elite level. He reads it pretty poorly right now.

 

Finally, when we are down three, WHY Tf don’t you get shooters in that can make a difficult three. You rely on Franz who has been terrible shooting the three? Why not bring in Houstan, Cole and Gary Harris? 

 

Again, coach needs help

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

Didn't like a lot about that to be honest. The defensive effort was great but the offensive execution is lackluster as hell over and over. Paolo makes so many dumb plays to turn the ball over. He got going in the third but I really thought he was bad most of the game to be honest 7 turnovers and 5 missed 3s that were all as bad as turnovers given the context of them. It's bizarre watching someone built like him struggle with the physicality of the game.

And you need a bucket end game you just throw it in to him and let him go one on one with one of the greatest perimeter defensive players of all time? No screen? No action? Just your 2nd year guy against a DPOY caliber player? Bizarre. 

I think I'm ready to see Goga again honestly. Wendell has been bad. Mo Wagner for everything good he does (and it's a lot on offense) just can't guard at a high enough level (it remains to be seen if Goga can really when you play one of these perimeter teams where you need to switch a lot, he probably can't but I'm open to giving him a shot)

The duality of Cole Anthony on full display too. That man really called his own number against Kawhi Leonard one on one. I watched it with my own eyes. Idiocy. 

Also, I love Jalen Suggs, Jalen Suggs is an exceptional defensive player. I'm very much open to us trying to push just how far he can go on that end. But it was very apparent very early that Suggs just didn't have the size to guard Kawhi and yet we still let that switch happen over and over. 

[All Eyes On Me 1,212]

Any theories on what’s going on with Franz? His game has fallen off a cliff. I know I’ve been banging the fatigue drum, but curious if anybody is seeing anything else.

[JJZFL 619]

8 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

……And you need a bucket end game you just throw it in to him and let him go one on one with one of the greatest perimeter defensive players of all time? No screen? No action? Just your 2nd year guy against a DPOY caliber player? Bizarre…. 

This seems to be our methodology in the last couple of minutes in close games, no matter who we’re playing against. Dribble it slowly up the court, give the ball to either Paulo or Franz at the top of the key, clear out the area and let them go one versus the other team.  That method has cost us the last three games, and others during the season.  

[JJZFL 619]

I expect us to win tonight against the grizzlies, and we’re favored by 13 1/2 points. At this point, I expect the grizzlies are probably in tanking mode. From the injury report, it looks like they’re sitting about 10 players tonight. We should not take undo confidence from whatever collection of G league players we beat up on in this game.

[JJZFL 619]

3 hours ago, All Eyes On Me said:

Any theories on what’s going on with Franz? His game has fallen off a cliff. I know I’ve been banging the fatigue drum, but curious if anybody is seeing anything else.

Well, I think one obvious answer is that other teams are giving both Franz and Paulo a lot more attention than they were earlier in the season. They figured out that if you double team either of them when they have the ball, sometimes they’ll continue to attack anyway and turn the ball over. Or they may wind up forcing a bad shot. 
 

I think that’s at least part of it.  Doesn’t explain everything, such as the drop in his three point shooting.  
 

[All Eyes On Me 1,212]

26 minutes ago, JJZFL said:

I expect us to win tonight against the grizzlies, and we’re favored by 13 1/2 points. At this point, I expect the grizzlies are probably in tanking mode. From the injury report, it looks like they’re sitting about 10 players tonight. We should not take undo confidence from whatever collection of G league players we beat up on in this game.

Yeah, if we want to avoid the play-in, tonight and Monday are both must win

[MagicMan1979 105]

I would also add that since they incorporated “prison rules” since The All Star Break guys like Paolo annd Franz aren’t getting the whistle nearly as much.  That doesn’t explain why Franz can’t shoot anymore though. 

[CTMagicUK 1,488]

I think Franz is just being guarded so differently since it's become apparent he can't throw a rock in the ocean. When you're shooting 35+% from 3, teams close out on you, they play up on you when you handle the ball instead of sagging back etc and he's terrific at attacking closeouts or a defense over extending itself in general. Lately though, since it's clear this is more than just a short term shooting slump, teams stop short of closing out to him and they sag off when he has the ball and he has to attack a more set defense. Combine that with the fact that he's still so talented and dangerous that teams still send help, clog the lane, etc. It's probably a lot to adjust to being defended one way for the first 2 and a half years of your career vs another way the last half season. 

 

[All Eyes On Me 1,212]

Isaac and Harris out, Fultz in

[Soul Bro 1,421]

42 minutes ago, All Eyes On Me said:

Isaac and Harris out, Fultz in

I hate this. I get it but I hate it. Winning games right now is mission critical to our seeding.