Shai has the most poise because he’s the oldest of their core at 25. But J-Dub is only 23 and Chet is 22. Compare that to our Clippers “young” guys of T-Mann at 27 and Coffey at 26. J-Dub played college ball at Santa Clara so this playoffs series was probably the highest pressured games he’s ever played in his life. All things considered, his perimeter defense was phenomenal even though his offense only came alive in the last game. OKC is high on both Chet and J-Dub for a reason. Considering that they’re the same age as Bones and Boston Jr and playing clutch minutes against Dallas in the playoffs is a sign of their poise. Those kids held their own and probably could have taken this series. J-Dub is already one of the top 2 way players in the league. With the experience they got this year, they’re going to be scary in the years to come. They have the most upside next year just by their core getting a year older. If J-Dub and Chet can play 36 tough minutes now in the playoffs, imagine how good they will be when they’re 25 and 24.

Boston: not challenged yet. Dallas: impressive, they surprised me but Minnesota gotta be favoured somewhat imo. They really looked like ‘defense wins championships’ for a good chunk of the series.

OKC is gonna learn, grow and get better. It was a disappointment to some degree in the second round but they put together a really strong season outside of this one series.

I also think the Clippers need to get rid of Russ, PJ Tucker, Plumlee, get a better backup #5 and get Kobe Brown, Bones, Jordan Miller playing time. Trading Norm while his value is high and getting rid of Brandon Boston Jr might make sense too. If we lose PG, however, Norm would retain a lot of value to the Clippers b/c of his high shooting % from 3.

Boston v Indiana: Indiana could be poised for a 2021 like Suns injury run where Tyrese Hallburton thrives on the vibes for a few years like Devin Booker did before that bubble bursts. Boston will not have Porzingis to start the series and Indiana has both Siakam and Turner playing well to where they’ll destroy 2nd level talent. I’d still favor Boston to win mainly b/c Tatum/Brown/White/Jrue are healthy, but as much as I dislike the Pacers I do have to acknowledge they have the firepower to stay with Boston especially if Boston is undermanned in the front line. I’ll say Celtics in 6, but the playoffs tend to be cruel to teams that have critical injuries and unjustly award teams whose primary advantage is relative health.

Minnesota v Dallas: I think Luka/Kyrie will be easier for Minnesota to guard than Jokic/Murray. McDaniels will probably guard Luka straight up and Ant will match up against Kyrie. The size of the Minnesota frontline should markedly reduce Dallas’ efficiency at the rim. Without that lob threat and with very solid 1 v 1 defenders, it will become difficult for Dallas to sustain consistent scoring. Defensively, Dallas can match up with Minnesota, but Minnesota has too many bodies to throw at them. If Mike Conley is able to manage his achilles issue as he has the past 2 games and run the offense, I don’t see Dallas being able to compete. Wolves 4-1 or 4-2. If Conley ends up having to sit out games, then I think the series could become a coin flip.

Denver: MPJ was a no show throughout the series and Murray was inconsistent. Jokic got fatigued at the end. Denver’s bench was a little better than expected in this series, but not in Game 7. Wolves were just better at every position except center.

Knicks: tragic ending. Literally lost the entire primary rotation to injury. It’s frustrating to see Indiana beat up on a team that was basically in crutches. The injury to Hart early in Game 6 shifted the series to Indiana.

Cleveland: lots of injuries for them as well, but they look like a team that’s ready to break up.

Really looking forward to seeing Joker vs. Luka. What a spectacle that would be. Dallas is my dark horse to go all the way, but the Celtics finally getting number 18 and watching Fakers fans crying would be perfect.

What was the hold up? Picks and young talent?

Bet Kawhi and PG are proud of acquiring the point guard they coveted so much that they forgot the rest of the lineup. Note to Frank and Ballmer: do not listen to players. They don’t know any better.

As for Ty, see if you could get a pick for him because he was never the answer.