G9.
Pistons GM
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2023 Sim 3 Recap
Series in which G9. recaps the more notable aspects of the sim and/or events that have occurred since the sim.
A Land Of Their Own*
*(Literally). Last week I stated that everybody else might be playing for 2nd. Well, maybe everybody else is playing for 3rd. The Bulls continue to immediately silence any potential naysayers as they have taken the entire league by storm. R.J. Barrett is nearly averaging a triple double (32.0/7.2/9.7) and carrying the brunt of the weight as the Bulls have climbed to a remarkable 39-5 record. Meanwhile, in the West, the Clippers continue to clip their opponents. Their headliner, Nikola Jokic, is currently recovering from a groin pull and is expected to miss 7 days. So count Jokic out for the All-Star Break- someone else gets a chance to fill-in for this offensive Swiss army knife. These two teams have only matched up one time this season, back in Sim 1. This was before the Clippers added Klay Thompson to their bench, and the Bulls added C/PF Steven Adams to their starting lineup. So expect the game to flow a little differently next time. It should be interesting to see these two squads play each other again on Day 98, right before the trade deadline. If the Bulls come away with a dominating win in Los Angeles on Day 98, Cloud may make another small push. It's a bit tough to make upgrades to a depth chart that stacked though.
Chicago Bulls | Los Angeles Clippers |
+18.3 | +14.9 |
39-5 (.886) | 32-6 (.842) |
BULLS 129 | Clippers 121 |
Looks Like an Interesting Race
Halfway through the season we've got the Eastern Conference's 12th seed 2.5 games out of the playoffs. The 5th through 10th seeds remain within 5 games of each other. The West is perhaps even more tantalizing. The 2nd through 7th seed are within 5 games, as are the 6th and the 10th. A 5 game lead isn't much, especially in BSL where we see teams play back to back to back to back to back to back to backs (can we get a players union?). Say Bradley Beal comes down with Severe Depression and takes leave for 90 days. The Mavericks are done-for. 3 game lead with 60 days to go? No sir. There's so many variables that come into play and the race for playoff seeding this season should definitely be an interesting one. The gap between the three competing tiers in this league is immense, so teams like the Clippers and Bulls don't have to worry about the race happening behind them. As for the other 7 seeds in each conference - they're fair game.
Keep a close eye on:
Each eighth seed
(Nets, Hornets, Hawks, Pacers)
(Timberwolves, Mavericks, Thunder, Pelicans)
Whoever lucks into that 8th spot can kiss their 2024 Championship hopes good-bye faster than any other teams - barring major injuries or catastrophic roster breakdown.
Down Goes Giannis
After running in circles around his opponents for a month straight Giannis's knees developed a bit of soreness. He tried playing through it and was doing fine - right until Domantas Sabonis of the Golden State Warriors tackled Giannis on the open court. Sabonis was charged with a newly implemented Flagrant X - a foul scale based on how an injuring play impacts upcoming TV Ratings. NBA Commissioner Donkey predicted massive drops in Milwaukee Bucks TV Ratings following the fall of Giannis, and for that he had to punish Domantas - comparing the severity of Domantas's actions to that of former NFL QB Tom Brady's actions during deflate gate. Giannis, like the aforementioned Nikola Jokic, will unfortunately miss All-Star Weekend. This is likely good news for Milwaukee, as it just means rest over work for their superstar. As you'll see below; Milwaukee did not completely collapse along with Giannis. They held their own against some playoff caliber teams. Of course, they're much better with Giannis on the court - but this is a good sign for the talent surrounding G.
Milwaukee Post-Fall:
4-4
Notable Games:
Bulls 105, BUCKS 91
Bucks 102, TIMBERWOLVES 97
BUCKS 114, Suns 110
YOINK!
Up until Sim 3 it seemed as if PG Scotty Pippen was going to clean sweep the ROTM and ROTY awards. He was certainly putting up the stats and leading his team to wins. He didn't win Sim 3's ROTM award though. What gives? More like- what takes? PG Killian Hayes of the Indiana Pacers was recently unleashed by GM and steak connoisseur, BeatsHaveaDream. Killian averaged over 20ppg and 10apg, all while leading the Pacers slightly up the standings. One of Hayes more impressive games came against former ROTY PG Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic. Take a moment to try and guess the stat line that Killian dropped on Cole's head... How does 37 points, 16 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals sound? But wait - it gets better. Cole Anthony dropped 50 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals on Killian. So I mean, at the very least we can say that Killian just makes the game more exciting. Whether he's lighting it up on offense or getting absolutely torched on defense - he makes it look good.
Achilles Heel?
Matchup Problems for Killian
PG Cole Anthony - 50/12/8
PG Tyrese Maxey - 34/12
PG Tremont Waters - 30/10/5(steals)
PG Kemba Walker - 9/13/8
2024 All-Star Weekend!
All-Star Weekend is upon us, and with it, All-Star predictions! Below you'll find a list of tips and tricks for making the best predictions. Comment below if you have any personal tips or tricks! We're all trying to get that cash!
- View old All-Star results
- View old Draft Threads for Rookie/Sophomore game
- Pay close attention to injuries! (No Giannis, no Jokic!)
- Remember - FBB prefers offense. If you're having trouble picking between two players - the one with the better offensive statistics is likely getting the nod.
- Be careful with positions! For instance - Luka Doncic who had been listed at PG some time ago is now listed at SG.
