Most Disappointing! 13 NBA Writers on Players and Teams Letting Them Down
Most Disappointing! 13 NBA Writers on Players and Teams Letting Them Down
NBA Substack on who's come up short in the postseason
We asked 13 leading NBA voices on Substack for their take on the playoffs:
What has disappointed YOU most?
Check out their answers and subscribe!
PHX-rated
| Phoenix. Phoenix. And Phoenix. I could surely muster some dismay with the Celtics' Game 2 showing at home against Miami or the injury wave that has kept Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and Zion Williamson in street clothes while also saddling us with compromised versions of Joel Embiid and Kawhi Leonard, but the Suns have clinched my exclusive focus with their meek showing so far.
They avoided the Play-In Tournament with a late-season surge. They even got the first-round matchup they wanted. Then they went out and lost the first two games in Minnesota by a combined 37 points while failing to reach 100 points in either outing. Do you think Phoenix can now beat 'Sota four times in the next five games? Do you think new owner Mat Ishbia realizes how hamstrung the Suns will be in the offseason when it comes to making meaningful changes to the team’s top-heavy roster? I do not.
Settling Suns
| The Suns. I'm not sure how anybody could pick anything else. The entire theory of this team was that putting Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal together would yield such a scarily efficient offense that it would paper over any other issues, and their offense has completely collapsed against a team they tore apart during the regular season. It's been truly gross to watch.
Book review
| Devin Booker’s two playoff games for an all-in Phoenix Suns team have been a surprising disappointment. I wrote glowing things about Booker this season, but he’s looked overmatched physically on both ends of the court. He has 10 fouls and seven turnovers while underperforming his expected offensive output.
If the Suns are to pull off a comeback, Booker has to outplay Anthony Edwards. So far, he hasn’t even been able to outdo Jaden McDaniels.
Street clothes
| Injuries. I want to see Zion Williamson and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs. Feels wrong for them to be in street clothes after their incredible seasons. Glad to see Kawhi is back. Let's keep it going.
Sideline report
| My favorite couple, Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan, are back together and haven’t been spotted courtside at the Heat vs. Celtics series. … Yet.
We won’t see Emily Ratajkowski and her divorce ring(s) at MSG, given she was (possibly) banned. Oops!
It’s doubtful the Lakers will advance, which means I’ll be robbed of an Adele x Rich Paul spotting at Staples Center (no, I will not call it that other name).
Whistles stopped
| I'm torn about this, but for as absolutely thrilling as the end of Knicks-Sixers Game 2 was, the officiating was horrific.
Had the refs not swallowed their whistles, we may not have gotten an all-time finish in Madison Square Garden. But because the refs did swallow their whistles, the end of that game just didn't resolve fairly, and the crime log Last Two Minute Report proves it.
Maybe I'm just disappointed at the binary choice between fairness and thrills?
The downside of experience
| 1. Experience = malaise? There's that saying, act like you've been there before, but it's blowing up in all the storied playoff teams' faces. The Lakers and Sixers have seemed absolutely desultory at times, and the Suns look exhausted. All those franchises have the experience and the talent but can't seem to get out of their own miserable ways and it's been strange to watch.
2. It's too soon to complain about calls. Save that shit for Game 4 and beyond. This isn't a gripe about stoppages, I'm already primed for those in playoff basketball, but I've always been of the mind that barring anything egregious, playing through does more for the momentum, energy and resiliency of a team than waiting for a call that may never come.
3. Injuries. Out of anybody's control, but a postseason and Heat-Celtics rematch without Jimmy Butler just isn't the same.
Boston, banged-up stars, and blowouts
| The series is 1-1, but the Boston Celtics have no reason to not be up 2-0. The Heat are that ever-present thorn and Boston can’t seem to shake it.
This is a general one: Injured stars. Way too many great players are out or limited to open the playoffs and we all lose because of it.
All the blowouts. Tight games are what makes the playoffs. Where are they?
Men in the mirror
| All the tears shed about the officiating. I know everyone has an agenda and ways to put pressure on the officials, but we’d seen an official grievance and a LeBron James rant after only two games in each series.
Nobody wants to see games decided by officiating errors, but neither the 76ers nor the Lakers lost solely because of the refs.
Look at yourself in the mirror, guys.
Unserious Celtics and unprepared Suns
| Boston’s lethargy. Soft closeouts, dubious defensive matchups and coverages, and no adjustments made the best team in the NBA look frivolous. It looked like the Celtics didn’t take Game 2 seriously until it was too late (fourth quarter).
The Suns don’t look playoff-ready. Poor passes, blown fast breaks, a stagnant offense, and Devin Booker looking like a shadow of himself. This was supposed to be their biggest strength, yet they looked outmatched and outcoached.
New Orleans, same old story
| The Pelicans are making me sad – and it’s not (completely) their fault. Without Zion, they never stood a chance against OKC, and the 32-point decimation on Wednesday night is a preview for the rest of the series.
Of course, “they didn’t have Zion” is a built-in excuse. While that’s true, this is year five of the Zion-BI pairing, with little postseason success to show.
I’m all for patience, but results have to come eventually for New Orleans.
Hali facts
| Will the real Tyrese Haliburton please stand up?
My love for Tyrese’s game is well-documented (see my borderline prophetic piece from the preseason), but his pre-All-Star numbers haven't lined up with his post-All-Star ones. And against the Bucks, he's been even worse.
Haliburton has taken just 8.5 shots each game (down from 15.2), is scoring only 10 points per contest, and is so much less aggressive. While his assist numbers are still good (10.0 per contest), one has to wonder: Where is the All-NBA-level Haliburton?
West woes
| I was disappointed that the Lakers couldn't hold onto their lead in Game 2. Beating the Nuggets is hard, but they needed one in Denver to make this interesting. Then some of the semi-nasty rumors after the game about LeBron leaving or disenchantment with AD — that's not fun.
I didn't expect much from the Suns, but their offense has been so disjointed that they're getting far less than the sum of the parts there.
The Mavs-Clippers series has been less than the entertaining one I thought it'd be. The general lack of offensive movement for these two teams is not my favorite.