and yea, this is specific to the NBA where player impact is more predictable and where superstars matter the most. The difference btwn pick 6 and 16 is a lot. In the NFL its important, but not as much as in the NBA. In MLB it matters much less. Also, in the NBA you just aren't winning the title as the 10th best team in the league. In football or baseball you're still drawing live.

yes, some people root for looses/tanking/etc. it's a hyper-rational approach to fandom, which is fine, but it's not hard to see why people continue to root for their bad, mediocre, or good but not great teams to win. rooting for losses is the opposite of just about anyone's instinct as a fan, so on that basis alone it is understandable behavior.

beyond that fans generally balance a desire for team success and entertainment and for experiencing each of those elements in the short term and long term. Separating these elements is tricky, but they are somewhat distinct as there are clearly conflicting incentives. hard to be entertained as a fan when your team loses a lot. the prospect of losing to win is sensible, but not necessarily that compelling from an entertainment perspective given that the draft is so volatile.

fans will also have different thresholds for team quality as it relates to their own entertainment. right now you're saying that you'd rather see the hawks be really, really good than piddle around as a round 2 team or whatever. understandable given their recent history, but if you watched them be a bad (non playoff team) for the same amount of time you might find it more palatable for them to be merely a "good" team




this conflates logical and instinctual behaviors imo

edit: yeah you basically need to catch lightning in the draft to contend. that that is the case yet many fans do not embrace losing is case in point that rooting for losses is not natural.

also, my point here is not that you should or shouldn't root for losses. it is not the default manner in which the vast majority of people interact with their teams

Heels is obviously right, if you're rooting for your team to lose you're bringing a level of rationality that isn't natural to (and in my opinion kind of ruins) fandom

Pacers bring back Lance for 3/12.

Wat

Yeah, it wouldn't be as big of an issue if the Warriors didn't exist obviously. But when you have Lebron you can build around him so much better than they have.

I still think we go through this "Can LeBron be beat in the East?" almost every year though and it usually isn't even competitive.

Then the playoffs are gonna start and LeBron is gonna put his head down and drive and have love, korver, irving all around bombing 3's and it'll be like oh yeah, it's gonna take a team like GS to beat him.

That being said, which team has the best chance in the East? Probably Wizards, I don't like the Celts chances much. Raptors we haven't seen them with Ibaka+Tucker+Lowry yet and they got a great homecourt but still seems like a leap.

I agree that most fans aren't discerning enough to root for losses when it makes sense. My personal experience is enhanced when the animating force that drives my fandom, namely hope, is increased. Losses can increase that hope. I don't know if any behavior that anyone of an adult age experiences is truly natural or rather the result of natural inclinations coupled with and influenced by learning.

What is natural is to want to be the best. Whatever helps accomplish that goal--even losses--may not be most people's default, may not be "natural" whatever that means, but it's what I prefer. So if I'm rooting for my team to lose sometimes my fandom benefits; even though I guess it's not natural, if anything can be said to be natural.

it's not really a question of being discerning. it's a matter of personal preference. ofc, everyone would like to see their team ship, but there is also value as a fan in having a team that is competitive

edit: as for it being natural to want to be the best-- this is a pretty narrow view of what fans want

Think you're up in draft, btw, tarheel

lol, well cog told me he submitted my name in the draft and i told him i wasn't going to participate

edit: rat can pick on my behalf

Just pick bro

NURK

Or, if you're a timberwolves fan, knowing that you get to pick higher after you brick.

The Starters reminded me how much of a badass Goran Dragic is. There's that one play against the Pistons where he has the ball on the perimeter, gets hit in the face, passes the ball, looks over to the ref next to him and says "That's a foul" (or whatever he said) while spitting a tooth into his hand, then casually drops the tooth next to the bench for later.

Ya, before that happened I'd already heard an interview with LeBatard about how his teeth got knocked out as a kid playing ball in Euroland - he kept playing then too.

He's great
Tough to build around tho he can't guard anyone


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you guys are just trolling seedewd with the nurk > jokic stuff right?

has anyone ever slanked so hard to get traded and ended up as a positive asset?

Vince

I remember Jalen was like "I would've dealt him for Richard Jefferson on the playstation, but I guess real life is different."

Dude, it looks like there is more to the story. After all his ex-teammates hugged him post-game, a couple of the players went into the FO and coaching staff for basically having too many guys and nobody having a specific role.

It looks like Nurk may well be a sensitive baby, but Malone and FO did him no favors with their tough love. It's not a good look for the org, and in some ways mirrors the things that have gone in in Hinkie/Morey's orgs. I really hope the FO takes a good long look at what they did wrong, and makes sure it doesn't happen again.

Only Barkley and Wilt had bigger first games against their former teams

Come playoffs, Warriors are in real trouble vs the Spurs if KD isn't back and ready. Kawhi and Danny Green clamp down Curry/Thompson and Draymond can't do enough on his own. Small lineup sans KD will have huge trouble vs LMA/Dedmon front line on the glass.

He's already warming up and stuff
They won't play the spurs for months he should be fine


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I'm assuming so. I mean, sure the guy had a monster game but he was being guarded by Nikola Jokic. Context matters.

meh, second night of a back-to-back when the first game was in Houston, and they're back in the game. The warriors will still be favorites without KD

What is the Thunder clutch stats that you guys were throwing around in here a few weeks ago? They were 23rd last year and now 1st this year in it but I don't remember the exact stat.