I mean, Wemby had to be created in a lab. Only explanation.

JJ was able to build Wemby in a cave! With a box of scraps!

Luka invented Devin Booker

Only a podcaster could have the expertise to invent Wemby. Why don’t other teams hire podcasters for all the positions in their organization?

Yea actually crazy lmao. The Spurs played a great game but it’s not like they’re the first or only team to have taken games off the Thunder.

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Pretty sure they learned it from Denver.

Its not as simple as “doubling the star” Its also how you get to him, and the way you set up the rest of the defense to cover around it. Its stuff that to us looks simple because we aren’t in the film room watching hours of guys moving off ball on the court. And yes the Lakers got swept, but there were a couple games where officiating VERY MUCH played a part. Do I think the Lakers would have had a shot on a even playing field? Probably not, because that strategy of doubling SGA only works if you have a Big that can commit to playing Defense, which Deandre Ayton wouldn’t do.

the spurs are a really good team and have a very real chance of winning the series, but celebrating a double OT win in game 1 like JJ Reddick solved basketball is how you know the thunder are next level

plus the Spurs literally went into double OT, there’s no guarantee it continues to work.

Off the play of a bench player shooting like 70% from 3.

I’d say the gameplan still seems solid, ain’t gonna get beat every night by a new one

Since you’re from (?) Slovenia, maybe you’ll appreciate another variant of said energy: “UAE has really figured out cycling!” Just sign ‘a’ Tadej Pogacar who can ride away from the entire peloton on whatever climb he wants and then sustain the gap … whether 20km from the line or 80km out!

The biggest difference is just Wemby. We got a bunch of open 3s against both the Lakers and Spurs when you all double teamed SGA. But we also got a lot of great looks in the paint against the Lakers. We didn’t get those against the Spurs. Caruso is seemingly the only one willing to attack the paint when Wemby is on the floor.

Funny enough the Thunder early on were trying a similar thing helping off the Keldon but he was banging his shots and Mitch uses him sparingly as well so it’s not as viable of a strategy

Wemby makes the paint lava. So OKC is passing around the perimeter instead of attacking the basket. Dominayton doesn’t have that presence

Honestly AD would have done really well for us vs OKC

They have an 8 foot tall Shaolin monk too

and they have wemby to protect the paint, makes defending much easier on the perimeter

I was so sick of Mitchell and McCain looking like superstars

More than the double, what really worked against Shai was Smart picking hum up full court ²⁴⁄₇ whenever he had the ball AND actively trying to deny Shai the ball ²⁴⁄₇. The Spurs have the personell to do it basically all game, every game.

There were plenty of plays where you guys tried to trap and the defender just lazily let Shai turn the corner on them. Plan was good, execution was 41 years old.

Rotations become a lot easier when it’s not a 41 yrs old and rui doing them. Also because wemby can guard anyone unlike ayton who can’t even keep up with his own shadow

I said it during the game, but their gameplan seems to be a good one moving forward too.

Keep applying the same defense that limits SGA, and just assume the role players arent going to replicate career-nights every time

It wasnt the 3 pt shooting. Guys were literally under the basket and noping out of shots like they were Ben Simmons thanks to Wemby. 

Yeah people complaining that OKC role players struggled is nonsense. OKC shot 38% from three compared to SA shooting 30% from three. Caruso was on fire all game, literally start to finish, and single handedly kept OKC from going down 15+ points in the 1st quarter.

Series after series we’ve watched SGA play alongside perimeter defenders who make life hell for opposing star players. Finally we now can watch SGA face that kind of defense himself. He’ll play much better going forward but it’s obvious that when you level the playing field he isn’t the clear BITW everyone crowned him as.

Even if the spurs aren’t playing zone if Wemby is on the floor they are playing a zone.

Yeah this is what it looked like to me. Thunder pretty much had to outscore by shooting threes which is not a winning strategy at least not for a series. Will be interesting to see how they adjust for game 2.

thunder looked scared to challenge him too. i’d rather wemby get 10 blocks than not even actively try and score in the paint

San Antonio really does have great physical guards, but Wemby also makes them look like superstars because they can press and gamble on the perimeter and he will erase all their mistakes and contains the four on three if the ball handler passes out a double team. That’s a luxury no one else has in the NBA.

Heh just the idea of Ayton zoning 2 guys is hilarious to me, he is not that guy

Chet will potentially never do anything against Wemby unless he’s just shooting all game one night. He’s basically just inferior where a lot of other bigs might not be as tall or skilled but they are stronger or heavier. Chet is weak, shorter and less skilled so he’s just gonna get bullied by Wemby every time with no real answer. That’s probably why he looks so good until he meets the guy that is just better than him at everything he does lol. Its actually pretty unfortunate that he basically came into the league at more or less the same time as the guy that takes away most of what makes him special

Lol you got burned u/DarkStar668

Lmfao

It’s frustrating how in his head he is.

If Ayton could be a consistent 20-10, he wouldn’t be on the Lakers right now.

Ya LeBron needed to be perfect to have a chance to win a game, was literally flash backs to ²⁰¹⁷⁄₂₀₁₈ Cavs v Warriors.

Those teams must be stupid

Why doesn’t the entire league draft a generational prospect who is in MVP discussions by year 3? Are we stupid?

I fucking hate when people say “It’s almost like” like he did

This is the same bunch of morons who thought sengun was doing some traditional Turkish shit paying respect to LeBron when, in fact, he was trying to get something out his pocket. I don’t come here for the analysis of discussion. I come here for the hilarity of nba shit

I remember when the nuggets were a dynasty 

and who can forget the 2024 celtics dynasty 

“Trajectory” is a big word for some people. It’s crazy that people will make a comment without even reading/comprehending the whole title.

Yeah you’re right. Just feels like we need to wait to start throwing the word “dynasty” around until they repeat or win another one next season

Is two rings considered a dynasty?

Fair enough, tbf people have always been dumb the internet and social media has just put people’s stupidity front and center

See this sub has some awful takes but getting basketball takes in the NFL page must be a new low lol

And Jalen Brunson last night said he doesn’t know how the knicks came back, just that he believes in the guys.

You really think you know more than the players, or maybe it’s that they dumb down how they comment on the game to either not give away the gameplan or bore an audience?

You think if you and Teague were both on Mind the Game you would outshine his basketball acumen?

Teague has a comedy podcast. Basketball analysis isnt really the point

It’s weird because from time to time he’ll have some level of insight that feels pretty real.

But it’s a clock stopped twice a day thing for 520.

Really though, they’ve gotten so much more open about it too since the podcast has grown. I used to watch every day because Bhen is admittedly hilarious but they say horrible shit constantly about women, gay people, and trans people to the point I really just don’t watch it at all.

Also, doing the “pause” bit constantly into their late 30s makes them look like they have learning disabilities

JJ Redick obviously lol

That’s fair but we’re not talking about general trivia or algebra. 12 year NBA vets know basketball more than 99.9% of the entire world haha

Lol bro you are delusional. I’m not saying players are flawless but compared to Redditors, most of whom have never even played high school ball, a 12 year NBA vet is LESS FLAWED in the subject of professional basketball than us. Michael Jordan might be a bad talent evaluator compared to the other dozen or two of the BEST basketball talent evaluators in the world, but he is better than you guy.

I’d guess the majority of us don’t watch Club 520 for basketball analysis. I don’t. It’s more of an entertainment podcast centered around the NBA and basketball and just general black culture to me. They’re all funny as hell and say some real shit, I don’t really take their basketball takes seriously or think about them too hard.

So don’t listen you dork lmao. Obviously people like listening to him.

Then don’t watch it his show is about basketball but if you go there for serious takes thats on you it’s really just stories and comedic shit half the time

This game was a pull-up logo 3 three away from the entire conversation being Wemby is great, but too inexperienced to win this year lol

As a Thunder fan, this is the most sane thread I’ve seen in two days. I assume its because the kids aren’t out of school yet.

Both teams can definitely play better, but if you’re the Spurs you have to be very encouraged that you won that game despite missing a ton of (good look) threes. Particularly down the stretch.

He didn’t but that was the first time Shai shrunk in a series.