Another two bite the dust
The NBA playoffs are starting to look like one of our survivor pools with teams dropping like flies. The Thunder eliminated the Pelicans last night and the defending champion Nuggets ousted the Lakers. The Western Conference is going to be fun to watch.
If the Clippers can manage to stay afloat (see what I did there) until Kawhi comes back the West may get very interesting.
I am not so certain the East will prove to be as thrilling. Once the Celtics exercise their Heat demons they probably have a clear path to the Finals but who knows.
On another note, I am really enjoying playoff basketball compared to the regular season brand. Better D, refs allowing more contact. Are you guys enjoying the playoff action?
Switching to hockey, hopefully we will all be able to rejoice in the defeat of the Maple Leafs tonight as well.
Sats for all, GR
Also enjoying the playoff games more, not least because there's just more at stake, and folks are bringing their all.
Just read this piece in the WSJ: The LeBron Generation in the NBA Is Finally Over
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It definitely feels like we are shifting to the next generation of superstars. Especially with the emergence of young stars like Edwards and SGA.
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This is the topic I was talking about a couple of days ago. It really feels like we've finally seen the torch finally passed to the next generation.
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Where do guys like Joker and Giannis fit in? Are they part of the next generation or a bridge from the past generation to the next.
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I think the torch should have been passed when Giannis won his title, but then Steph snuck in there and grabbed another one.
I basically have Kawhi and older in the Lebron/Steph/KD generation and Jokic/Giannis/Embiid in another of guys right in the middle of their primes. Then, there are the emerging/young guys like Ant and SGA.
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Seems about right to me.
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IPL Update

@siggy47 forecasted a doom for MI and it is coming real. MI lost to LG today and are almost out of the race for playoffs.
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The Siggy grudge is a powerful force.
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Indeed! He has some real truth-telling tooth.
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I have never heard that phrase before. I like it.
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In fact I've also not listened it ever before I invented it. @siggy47 is one of my favourite stackers and it's just my way of saying thanks to my ideal. So @siggy47 is now a 'TTT' after I've invented 'PPP' for @cryotosensei.
You're also on my favourite list and I'll try to invent something for you later. You know inventions take sometime.
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Thanks for the kind words. I second your assessment of Siggy. I have enjoyed your contributions to SN as well and learning a lot of IPL from you.
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Thanks. As I said, I'll be covering this year's Men's T20 World Cup here on SN, I need a suggestion from you.
Should I change my nym from Coinsreporter to something else?
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Up to you but I don't think it's necessary.
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I know it better than anyone on SN. After all I'm an Indian Hindu. We're the most superstitious race on the planet.
My mother holds her own superstitious presumptions for almost everything. Now, even my wife is the same. My granny was the same as well. I can recall countless incidents of everyone stopping and just spitting because there's an innocent cat just crossed the road right in front of your veichle.
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What did the spitting have to do with it? Does spitting at the cat ward its evil off?
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Yes, I asked it once to my mom. She replied that by doing this we showed that we weren't weak and we could spit on demons and evils with force.
Technically, we show that we're powerful enough and we can't be trapped into the negative thoughts.
I always saw the brighter side of these superstitions. Like stopping for a minute or two doesn't cost us life.
Suppose, you're in a hurry to your office and due to the cat you just start thinking about bad omens and become extra careful while driving your car, eventually you drive slowly and reach your office, if it wasn't for the cat, you could drive faster and could possibly meet an accident.
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Interesting. I like your optimism.
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My grandmother spit too!
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Oh I know it well. My first wife was Italian.
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Oh no! I hope you weren't the recipient.
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Not sure. I don't think she believed in it but her mom and aunts did. Who knows what happened after we split up. I might have a perpetual darkness cast over me.
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My grandmother believed in it. We all consider it a joke, until we have a string of bad luck.
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If the Clippers can manage to stay afloat (see what I did there) until Kawhi comes back the West may get very interesting.
Nice floating boat reference. Interesting thing is the Clips actually played better the two games without Kawhi than with. It looked like PG and Harden turn it down a notch and just stand around when Kawhi is playing. I do think the Clips are a better team with Kawhi, but he just looks very rusty the last two games he was back.
I'm also enjoying playoff basketball. Teams actually play D. You can see that the games are also much more lower scoring in general, but still exciting to watch.
Canucks game tonight, with a chance to advance to the next round. I'll be glued to the TV and will be cheering for my home team.
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Who do you like in the west? Nuggets finished off the Lakers but honestly did not look that great doing it.
And yeah it is really nice to see teams playing tight D and the games not being track meets.
I am pulling for your Canucks.
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I really like the young teams, Thunder and TWolves. Both teams show that they were capable of playing at a high level and have good chemistry. Also they are just fun to watch. I'm rooting for SGA and his Thunder though.
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Do want any action on the young teams vs Denver?
1k sats that neither of them knock Denver out.
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I'm not taking that bet. Nuggets are still very good, with Joker holding it down for most of the game and Murray taking over in the last 5 minutes in clutch time. The supporting cast fit well and all are playing their role. As good as the young teams are playing now, I'm not sure if they have what it take to knock out the champ. I guess until they prove me wrong, I still believe Nuggets are coming out of the west.
But it would be exciting to see one of the young teams knock out the champ and get the job done. That's why I'm rooting for them, but I won't put sats on them.
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Fair enough. You and @grayruby have been more than generous in letting bet on Joker.
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I will take the bet. Why not?
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Awesome!
Who do you have more confidence in? I'm probably a little more concerned about Minnesota, but then again KAT is just about the dumbest basketball player I've ever seen and he's going to be defending Joker in some capacity throughout the series.
Nuggets and TWolves should be a good series.
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Yes, I'm excited to see how that one plays out as well.
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The '04 Pistons are my favorite team ever, so you know I'm enjoying it.
The Celtics are getting a little beaten up in this series and Spoelstra's exposing some vulnerabilities. I think the Knicks have a real shot at knocking them off, which I thought was ridiculous when you proposed it a couple of weeks ago.
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I'm also counting on the Knicks to eliminate the Celtics. But before that, they need to get past the Pacers first, which I think they should be able to pull it off. We shall see.
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Pascal is playing well.
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He is, especially the first 2 games. His rebounding numbers are awesome.
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How would he look if Giannis were in there, though?
I guess the Knicks don't have a Giannis either, so maybe that's not very important.
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I look at series as is, with injuries factored in. Fact of the matter is, Bucks didn't have Giannis to start, then lost Dame after 3 games, and Middleton is probably going to be playing hurt. Bucks are not getting past the Pacers.
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If Haliburton's back to something like his old self, he and Pascal are a dangerous combo.
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I think the Bucks would win that series with Giannis.
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Haha that's interesting because I am less convicted on the Knicks now than I was two weeks ago. They seem to be having a hard time with the 76ers. Maybe it's just a bad matchup for them. Hopefully they can give the Celtics a run.
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The Celtics can really be thrown off by tough physical play. If the Heat were able to rattle them for a game with Herro, Jovic, and Robinson, just imagine what these Knicks can do.
It's all about dragging the Celtics down, since they're so much more talented than everyone else.
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Did you see the article that @StillStackinAfterAllTheseYears posted about the end of the Lebron generation?
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Let’s hope the Knicks can close out Philadelphia tonight
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It was a nice try!
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