|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 18, 2022 12:36:02 GMT -5
JT has been really good since he arrived in the NBA, and he's been the best player on the team for most of his 5 seasons.
And he's shined in a bunch of high stake playoff series already.
But this postseason is the one that establishes his entry into superstardom. He's no longer looked at as a kid, a prodigy, a future star. Eyes are on him to see when he'll take the mantle from KD.
His efforts, on both ends of the floor, in Game 1 yesterday only furthers the narrative.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Apr 18, 2022 15:40:01 GMT -5
JT was the better player than KD in Game 1, blocked one of his shots, and got the winning basket. Did it look to anyone else that JT has been studying KD's moves pretty intensely? He seemed to know where KD was going.
|
|
|
Post by jrmzt on Apr 18, 2022 21:19:31 GMT -5
I actually wonder if the team as a whole had studied KD's tendencies when he holds the ball...and whether that contributed to the high turnover rate. It might just be a one game aberration from KD, but it sure seemed as if we knew when to slap the ball.. which was often as he brought it up from hip height to try get it above his head. KD isn't the strongest dude around, which could contribute to an easier time slapping the ball out of his hands? I guess we'll see over the next few games.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 25, 2022 11:55:45 GMT -5
Nick Wright (the guy without a chin, who looks awfully like Tom Green) always finds a way to trash us.
But in a surprise move, after seeing what Tatum has done to KD, Nick has done something I was astonished to hear -- a huge compliment to a Celtic.
He says he's really picky of who he calls a superstar, saying that at any moment there are only 10 players he considers a superstar. And earlier he said Tatum was like the 17th best player in the league. He now changed his tune and says Tatum is right now knocking on the door into the top 10.
Of course, we and many others think JT is higher than 10 -- but coming from Nick Wright, this is prettt big.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on Apr 25, 2022 12:28:54 GMT -5
I'm always reluctant to say a guy is Top 10 or Top whatever, because I realize that we see our own guys way more than anyone else, especially guys on teams that don't get on national tv much. What's easier for me to see, and say, is that Tatum has outplayed KD in this series.
|
|
|
Post by eja117 on Apr 25, 2022 18:11:41 GMT -5
I tried to think of a player that deserves the MVP more than Tatum. i think Embiid might deserve it as much. I think maaaayyybbbe Jokic deserves it more. Maybe Giannis. That's it.
This is not the same question as "Who are the top ten players" or who would you most want on your team or who would you most want to win a game for you.
If you think of the league in a vacuum with a blank slate starting next year where everyone is healthy maybe Lebron is a better player than Tatum. But in a draft where the whole league starts over Tatum goes way ahead of Bron. In this year's MVP vote Tatum is way ahead of Bron.
We have seen him in this series so far just about personally grab Durant's arms, use them to punch him, and then say "Why ya punchin yourself? Why ya doin that?" Anyone who can do that is instantly in the conversation for top 5 player.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on Apr 26, 2022 18:40:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by jmost on May 7, 2022 17:39:25 GMT -5
HUGE step back for Tatum today in Game 3 of the Bucks series. MVP level players don't have games like this.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on May 7, 2022 21:30:14 GMT -5
HUGE step back for Tatum today in Game 3 of the Bucks series. MVP level players don't have games like this. If there's one thing I'm not satisfied about is Tatum's intensity level from game to game. For instance, you know with Giannis, every game will be an all out occasion. With Tatum, sometimes he's the aggressor and sometimes he's timid. Sometimes he's heavy metal and sometimes he's R&B.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on May 7, 2022 22:08:56 GMT -5
Today he was new age.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on May 7, 2022 22:14:44 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by jrmzt on May 9, 2022 0:33:13 GMT -5
HUGE step back for Tatum today in Game 3 of the Bucks series. MVP level players don't have games like this. If there's one thing I'm not satisfied about is Tatum's intensity level from game to game. For instance, you know with Giannis, every game will be an all out occasion. With Tatum, sometimes he's the aggressor and sometimes he's timid. Sometimes he's heavy metal and sometimes he's R&B. It's the lack of moves but its also the lack of size. If he tried to post, Giannis has the height to block him. Hes not Embiid who can take on Giannis 1 on 1. The way I see it, Tatum's shot will either fall or it wont...and that makes him a Paul George type where he can be prone to being one dimensional when guarded by bigger players. However the most surprising thing was going 0-10 when guarded by Wesley Matthews...that shocked me. When a guy is smaller and slower and older...I expect Tatum to destroy them.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on May 9, 2022 15:48:09 GMT -5
Tatum better play like a superstar tonight -- not merely with scoring, but doing whatever it takes to win.
|
|
|
Post by DERRENMATTS on May 9, 2022 20:19:18 GMT -5
Tatum, in the offseason, work on imposing your will. Find ways to score when the perimeter shots aren't falling. Learn to dominate when a smaller guy is on you.
|
|
|
Post by jmost on May 9, 2022 21:14:32 GMT -5
He could really use a floater shot. There were numerous times tonight when he had the ball in the lane with Giannis in front of him and you could see he didn't want to challenge him, so he passed it out to the corner. A 10 foot floater would be unblockable and he should be able to knock those down pretty easily.
|
|