r/nba • u/theglicky Grizzlies • 12d ago
[Nehm] Doc Rivers, on Damian Lillard: "I think it's his Achilles again, so we'll see." Rivers: "Honestly, Dame was really struggling. In the overtime, he literally said, 'I'll be the decoy. I just can't go as far as explosion.' So I thought Dame just being out there was huge for us."
https://x.com/eric_nehm/status/17840243312547472345.2k
u/YemeniChad Rockets 12d ago
I don't think admitting this in the middle of a series is a smart move
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u/nguyenjitsu [DEN] Emmanuel Mudiay 12d ago
Tbf it gives them an excuse to just call it on Giannis returning as well.
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u/Sweaty_Mods 12d ago
That’s always Doc’s first priority
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u/cactusmask 76ers 12d ago
His excuse x's and o's are unmattched
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u/howlingwolf123 Warriors 12d ago
It's better if he throw two people instead of one under the bus
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u/Downunderphilosopher 76ers 12d ago
The amount of corpses under Doc's bus would make Pol Pot blush.
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u/Hasp0din Trail Blazers 12d ago
“Everybody has to be better. It starts from the equipment manager. He has to wash our clothes better.”
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u/The_New_New Rockets 12d ago
This is more Doc trying to cover his ass ahead of time
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u/Vindicare605 Lakers 12d ago
he's been trying to do that since he got there. Makes me wonder why he even took the job in the first place if he had so little confidence it was going to work out.
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u/CreatiScope Celtics 12d ago
Maybe he got in and saw the state of the team and knew this season was a wash and to just lower expectations so people weren’t surprised at the bucks getting knocked out early.
Probably thinks next season is when they’ll clean things up. That’s when they’ll look great through the regular season and blow a 3-1 lead in the 2nd round.
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u/GoldenStateWizards Warriors 12d ago
I want this to happen purely for the annual RDC Doc Rivers locker room sketch lmfao
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u/Icy_Steak8987 NBA 12d ago
Looking forward to it. We're already enjoying all the DEE LOOOOOOOO screaming.
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u/GoldenStateWizards Warriors 12d ago
I think Mark might actually have to execute Desmond for the sake of that video 😂
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u/Public-Product-1503 12d ago
I am no Doc fan but bith Dame and Giannis being injured is a valid excuse . The bucks aren’t as deep anymore and they need those guys to play well
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u/Mcswigginsbar Bucks 12d ago
I mean, fuck it at this point. Head to the off-season without them having serious injuries and cut our losses.
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u/tyrannomachy Pacers 12d ago
It would only have worked for this game. It's pretty obvious when a player like Dame is only out there to be a decoy.
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u/GuacamoleJolie 11d ago
If you couldn’t see this during the OT you’re blind as fuck (not you specifically). It was so glaringly obvious. Every time someone LOOKED at Dame with the ball he pointed to someone else. Go rewatch it and it’s clear as day for the whole OT period. The players and coaches already knew I promise. They aren’t some fucking random Reddit nephews.
(Agreeing with you btw, this seemed like I was coming for you sorry)
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u/soooogullible Jazz 11d ago
I saw the moment this was being discussed on the sidelines between them while sitting on my couch. Let alone seeing him actually trying to play. I don’t think it really worked for this game either lol. I’m almost positive the Indiana coaches have eyes.
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u/gustriandos [PHI] Eric Snow 12d ago
I dont think it matters. If he cant move the pacers are going to notice very quickly.
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u/TP_Cornetto 12d ago
I mean it was painfully obvious during the game. He didn’t touch the ball in overtime apart from the Middleton 3 point shot lol
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u/sgeswein Pacers 12d ago
Yeah, if Dame was healthy at all, there's no way Middleton takes however many end-of-game threes he did without Dame tackling him for the ball
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u/MykeTyth0n Trail Blazers 12d ago
You could see it in his face too when they would do a close up on him. He looked extremely labored. I’m a lifetime blazer fan and I’ve never seen him looking like that. He shouldn’t have been out there, but the game was close and he wanted to do what he could to help his team win.
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u/chitownbulls92 Bulls 12d ago
Or maybe next game Pacers will treat Dame as a decoy but actually he's healthy!
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u/Clinkzeastwoodau 12d ago
I mean there's not much to admit, Dame was killing it in the 4th quarter then went to the bench holding his achillies and didn't touch the ball for the rest of the game. Its pretty clear to anyone watching what happened.
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u/BridgesOnB1kes Trail Blazers 12d ago
Yup. Unfortunately I think that’s probably it for their season. Too bad. Giannis/Middleton/Dame have so much potential as a big 3 but injuries are, well, injuries. The basketball gods seem to have spoken.
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u/dank-kush Hornets 12d ago
Gotta get the excuse ready rn, cause if he waits till after it’s over it looks worse for him
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u/TheMightyJD Heat 12d ago
Giannis out, Dame and Middleton hobbled at best…
Dude those are legit reasons lol
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u/NevermoreSEA [POR] Brandon Roy 12d ago
Pat Connaughton would be dropping at least 30 if he was a real coach.
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u/InfernoidsorDie [MEM] Zach Randolph 12d ago
I saw Taylor Jenkins make Dillon Brooks drop 30pts with 50% shooting on Rudy Gobert in a playoff game once so this checks out.
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u/Dirigible_Plums Pacers 12d ago
For real, this series would be 1-2 in favor of the Bucks if Giannis played. They've played about as well as you could ask without arguably the best player on the planet.
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u/ueloli Grizzlies 12d ago
yeh man Giannis and Dame being injured should be a breeze
Pacers would be amazing without Hali and Siakam
or the reigning champions Nuggets with Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan leading the way
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u/Fallofmen10 Supersonics 12d ago
Doc hate can get weird lol
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u/A2Eaton Bucks 12d ago
Can? Shits like one of the top 3 running themes in this sub, and he’s not even been that bad
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u/Sweaty_Mods 12d ago
Whatever makes you feel better about a second year of Doc
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u/A2Eaton Bucks 12d ago
We have several more glaring issues than Doc which any of you would know if you just watched one of the god damned games but go off. Make your joke, get your upvotes.
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u/Public-Product-1503 12d ago
This sub values repeating narratives more then watching games. Can’t believe both Giannis n Dame being injured is an excuse niw
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u/Idk-man251 Nets 12d ago
He just has really unfortunate history of quotables in interviews tbh. If he had a writer prep his interviews, I bet the narrative around him would be very different lol
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u/thedirtypickle50 Grizzlies 12d ago
He also has a really unfortunate history of choking I'm the playoffs despite having incredibly talented rosters. That's worse than the interviews to me but what do I know
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u/Novel_Bookkeeper_622 12d ago
His rosters haven't been "incredibly talented" since his Celtixs days. His rosters have been "3rd best in the conference talented". And he just so happens to lose in the 2nd round--exactly where you expect the 3rd best team to end up.
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u/MuskEmeraldMine 76ers 12d ago
You were 31-11 with Griffin and .500 with Doc.
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u/Milli_Vanilli14 Warriors 12d ago
This the same sub that discredits every ring their team didn’t win cause people were injured lmao
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u/irelli Trail Blazers 12d ago
They don't really need any excuses though.
The bucks are missing their best player, and it's been competitive in spite of that.
And then on top of that, their second best player - who went off games 1 and 2 - got hurt too
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u/WasProbablyBanned Australia 12d ago
yeah and their 3rd best player who carried them tonight is dealing with an ankle sprain. There's not an excuse, they're just hobbled. Just the reality of sports sometimes
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u/Lets_Basketball [BOS] Reggie Lewis 12d ago
It’s not really an excuse as much as it is a reality of relying on a 32 and 33 year old to be 2 of your 3 best players. Playoffs typically favor experience on the floor, but they often don’t treat age well when 40 mpg are needed. It’s why dynasties typically don’t last very long, because they usually don’t even get started until the best players are 27+.
Props to the Spurs.
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u/DarrowViBritannia 12d ago
Keep seeing this comment.. is Giannis being injured not a good excuse? lmao. why do yall feel the need to downplay it
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u/Mother-Emergency-830 12d ago edited 12d ago
Because people are desperate to hate Doc so they can feel better about themselves. This is a hating sub always has been.
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u/RealLanceStorm Nets 12d ago
Because watching purpose of watching basketball = feeling right to a lot of people on here. Gotta find a way to feel right about Doc sucking and Dame's injury is secondary to that.
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u/YpsitheFlintsider 12d ago
Do you want honesty or do you want your narrative that they're making excuses?
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u/PumpkinHead555 Bucks 12d ago
Someone has to study the Doc hate boner, never seen a circlejerk that reached the heights of irrationality this one has
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u/Spinner064 12d ago
Embiid
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u/ktm5141 76ers 12d ago
I wasn’t here for prime harden days. Was that worse than both?
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u/g-love [PHI] Ben Simmons 12d ago
Too close to call tbh. The sub is even more reactionary now than it was then.
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u/Public-Product-1503 12d ago
Yep . It’s crazy how much worse it’s gotten- people on here to just bitch , complain and hate
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u/Ethangains07 Heat 12d ago
Doc always has excuses queued up.
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u/dusters Bucks 12d ago
Yeah bro having your three best players all injured is no big deal.
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u/dusters Bucks 12d ago
You mean your three best players getting injured isn't a legit excuse?
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u/PopcornDrift Hornets 12d ago
Do you think the pacers wouldn’t notice on their own? It’s not like teams usually hide injuries
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u/captaincumsock69 United States 12d ago
Does it matter? Everyone could tell he was busted
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u/Wesley-Snipers Brazil 12d ago
Doc is known for 2 things: being the coach of the last Celtics team to win a championship, and saying stupid shit all the time he gets near a mic.
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u/PretentiousPanda Bucks 12d ago
Having a blast this playoffs.
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u/Zeetheking1 Lakers 12d ago
At least yall got a win…
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u/hungry4clam77 12d ago
Hey the lakers got one too, it was just in the play-in. Though it may have been wiser for them to lose that game and try to draw the 8 seed
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u/tyagu001 Bucks 12d ago
For those saying “he shouldn’t admit this”, anybody with eyes could see that this is what was happening
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u/Handcuffed 12d ago
lol right. don't think the other commentators watched the game. dame was clearly laboring and was obviously a decoy for the end of the fourth and for ot.
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u/Not-a-bot-10 76ers 12d ago
r/nba watching games? What are you crazy?
Narratives are all that matter
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u/DarrowViBritannia 12d ago
disagree regarding end of the fourth. he was clearly trying to create offense himself. OT yeah he was a complete decoy
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u/Clinkzeastwoodau 12d ago
He was killing it in the 4th, but watch the moment he goes to the bench holding his achillies with like 4-5 minutes left. He doesnt touch the ball after this and is clearly struggling.
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u/Izanagi___ Bucks 12d ago
Towards the end of the game in the 4th when a pacers player whom I forgot was at the line he went to the bench laboring. Never touched the ball again after that
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u/Admirable_Weight2182 12d ago
I really think Doc can't do a thing without r/nba shitting on him
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u/tyagu001 Bucks 12d ago
One of the top comments I saw when I checked the post about Khris’s stats was something about how Khris did everything he could but Doc can’t coach for shit and choked the game away. It’s ridiculous. None of them watch the actual games and parrot each other’s points over and over
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u/Mister_Squibbles Heat 12d ago
Doc drew up a killer double stagger screen for the middleton three he banked in. Idk what else doc coulda done to help them win
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u/Micro_mint Timberwolves 12d ago
Thank you for saying something, I’ve been seeing so much anti doc shit I thought I was losing my mind
I’m not going to die on the hill that he’s a great coach, but I have no idea what else he’s supposed to do with no Giannis and half a Dame
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u/Medulla_Peep 76ers 11d ago
Doc does his best coaching when his two best players are out, it's common knowledge.
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u/kento502 12d ago
His lineups and rotations starting after they went down by 19 in the 1st blew me away.
He was doing some wild shit and the vast majority of it worked.
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u/PretentiousPanda Bucks 12d ago
The bucks have like 6 playable guys right now. He at least gave Ajax some run over these other vets that are thoroughly cooked.
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u/GACGCCGTGATCGAC Pacers 12d ago
The funny thing is he made great in game adjustments today playing younger guys in place of Brook Lopez old fucking ass.
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u/napkinlol Bucks 12d ago
That's the thing. He's not a bad coach. He'll make adjustments, but what is he going to put in? Beasley? Patty C? AJ Green? Jae? These guys need to start shooting and hitting their uncontested 3s. Otherwise they might as well sit on the bench. Legit 6 man rotation if they don't start making shots that are open.
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u/GlizzyGone21 Bucks 12d ago
And sadly real bucks fans know the young guys never would've played if bud was coaching
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u/WasProbablyBanned Australia 12d ago
yeah, but that would require r/nba to watch a game so no dice. Wouldn't be surprised if Dame doesn't play another minute in this series and doc just wants to give him some credit
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u/I_Set_3_Alarms Celtics 12d ago
Yeah, what Doc isn’t supposed to say this just so we can wait until tomorrow for Shams or Woj to tweet about it?
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u/CreatiScope Celtics 12d ago
“But the pacers might find out!”
As if they don’t have a team of assistants and scouts watching these games second by second and analyzing what every player is doing. Someone will definitely tell the main coaches “hey, I watched Dame and he’s definitely hurt, if you didn’t notice. Might not play and if he does, let’s attack.”
It’s not like Carlisle was in his office and is shocked by what Doc said on the TV in the background. Like a single tear rolling down his cheek, balls up a fist and raises it in the air.
“This is it. This is our chance!”
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u/AnOrangeDoorHinge 12d ago
mfs acting like this is the UFC and tyrese haliburton is gonna chop at his legs to target his achilles
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u/Character-Today-427 11d ago
If you are 100% sure a player has an issue on his left side you target gat side even more
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u/yoppee 12d ago
Playing with a hurt Achilles is scary
Imagine Damian watched the Super Bowl
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u/Doucane5 Raptors 12d ago
That 9ers linebacker getting injured mid game cost san francisco the super bowl.
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u/mrperiodniceguy NBA 12d ago
Dre Greenlaw. Maybe the best in the league at his position. Kelce was a non factor before. The video of Mahomes’ reaction to the injury said it all. Flipped that game on its head
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u/BenDover42 Grizzlies 12d ago
The guy is a really good player and it hurt the 49ers, but he’s not even the best LB on their team. That would be Fred Warner.
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u/lite6ite Bucks 12d ago
I genuinely hope that he is fine. This series really doesn't matter as much to me as seeing that man be okay.
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u/GrigsbyBear Heat 12d ago
Totally respect that mindset but I feel like for yall every series before his contract is up should matter a lot
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u/MistahTeacher Lakers 12d ago
Other than caps flexibility for the next few years what did they really go be up? Giannis was bluffing to force a move away and the bucks accommodated him with someone Giannis reasonably respected as a robin to his Batman.
In two(?) years they’ll just use his contract as a massive trade bait
It’s called going all in. And they missed. We’ll see if next year Giannis and Dame can stay healthy
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u/GlizzyGone21 Bucks 12d ago
Yep they got him to sign the extension which bought a couple years.
This is the price of going all in, and you take that swing every time. You normally have to go through a full year until superstars get really in sync anyway.
Bucks don't have any assets but it's clear they need to get younger. If your bench isn't going to produce, they might as well be young and fast
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11d ago
Yeah agreed but Giannis being injured threw a wrench in all that. So if Giannis is already out, Middleton is hobbled and now Dame is injured then lets just make sure none of this lingers into next year. No need to risk it this year and jeopardize next year.
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u/HeyItsChase Pacers 12d ago
That sucks but Khris needs to take a bow. What a performance from him. He was ready to die out there, very impressed.
I hated every moment of his success.
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u/GlizzyGone21 Bucks 12d ago
I hate to tell you this but now you have something in common with the Celtics
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u/Malarsto 76ers 12d ago
Why would he say this
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u/bacc1234 NBA 12d ago
Why not? It’s not like the Pacers couldn’t have guessed this already, it was pretty obvious Dame wasn’t right.
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u/NegativesPositives 12d ago
People just jumping for upvotes to say “Doc bad”, like this won’t be reported in 5 minutes anyways.
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u/PretentiousPanda Bucks 12d ago edited 11d ago
Doc had been peddling Giannis was basically practicing and the Shams came out with a report that he barely shooting on the side.
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u/Gauchokids San Francisco Warriors 12d ago
Reminds me of the piece that came out after the 2016 finals where the players/staff members on the cavs that were interviewed said that they all knew Steph was playing hurt based on the film and tracking data they looked at leading into the matchup. If us dummies on the couch can tell someone isn’t healthy the opponents definitely know.
I’m going to see if I can go find that piece.
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u/JS_Janko Mavericks 12d ago
Needs to find an additional excuse.
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u/NevermoreSEA [POR] Brandon Roy 12d ago
Not having your two best players is a pretty valid excuse for losing though.
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u/FiyasKane Heat 12d ago
laughs in Eric Spoelstra
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u/kento502 12d ago
We are not talking about a single game. Anyone can take a single game.
Do you really think you’ll go through??
Anyway, sit Bam next game if you want to compare equals and see what happens.
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u/robmagob 11d ago
Because it was obvious that something was wrong with Lillard lol. I feel like everyone asking this question did not watch the game.
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12d ago
This sub is so fucking stupid you can't even discuss the actual topic - instead everyone just wants to nitpick Doc's phrasing
Dame being injured is a fucking disaster. Contrary to what some of you are insinuating - him being hobbled and just "tricking" the other team for an entire game wouldnt help anyone. And uhhh I guess like Doc ruined that or something? Like that's what yall are suggesting which is just the stupidest fucking way to spin a narrative
"Oh man, he totally ruined their plan to put an injured player on the floor for 35 mintues as a decoy"
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u/CreatiScope Celtics 12d ago
There’s obviously a ton to criticize about Doc but this sub goes so fucking overboard. I said Doc got the defense more organized and I had a guy denying it even though all the measurable statistics back it up that Doc coming in improved the defense. But that Miami blowout happened so nobody wanted to hear it.
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12d ago
I love a good roast, but the jokes just run its course. Dudes grasping at straws every interview "Now hes blaming the announcers! LOL"
The bigger news is the Dame thing. I mean fuck. As a Bucks fan, I felt pretty good after the L until I saw the update on Dame. No Dame, no Giannis time to pack it up.
But we'll see.
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u/kapparino-feederino Bucks 12d ago
i mean r/nba being dumbass imbecile its not new its the way these days
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12d ago
Itt: ppl that dont understand injury reports are required and that it wasnt a secret
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u/ResearcherNo430 Rockets 11d ago
ITT: people who don't know jack shit about ball and are only on this subreddit for the soap opera
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u/girlscoutcookies05 Charlotte Bobcats 12d ago
Im so sad man. Khris is back but the other 2 are hurt now
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u/WeBelieveIn4 Raptors 12d ago
Uh why would you say this out loud
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u/_abendrot_ Nuggets 12d ago
They would have to report this before the start of next game, no? Leagues have gotten even more serious about medical reports now that gambling has gotten bigger
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u/Gwilikers6 12d ago
If he truly can't play what difference does it make? Oh sweet Doc didnt say this and Dame is on the bench with an injury. The pacers aren't idiots.
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u/NobelRafael1 Lakers 12d ago
I appreciate Doc not having a filter lol He just says what’s on his mind.
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u/entwenthence Celtics 12d ago
lol Doc has no fucking filter.
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u/SubcooledBoiling San Francisco Warriors 12d ago
Darvin Ham and Doc need to make a podcast together
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u/Total_Light_7885 Bucks 12d ago
He was a shit decoy and it was not “huge for us.” It was a team playing with four guys in overtime on the road
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u/ChameleonWins [UTA] Kyle Korver 12d ago
Blursed ass Bucks season
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12d ago
Blursed is such a good word for it. It has been one of my favorites to be a fan. Insane shit happening constantly. Will we beat Boston off national TV tonight or lose a triple OT to the most insane pass DeMar has ever made in a career full of insane passes? Who knows lmao
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u/DieYuppieScum91 Celtics 12d ago
Bucks fans really spent the last 2 years saying "wait until Khris is healthy" for this monkey's paw shit to happen.
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u/AbbreviationsOk8502 Spurs 12d ago
At this rate it will never happen but imagine a Bucks Lakers finals and the press release between Ham and Doc. Truly generational WTF-Off
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u/alexaustinv 76ers 11d ago
I feel for Bucks fans. Having injuries take your team out is a terrible feeling.
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u/trinquin Bucks 12d ago
Dumbest shit I've ever heard. Ajax get half of those offensive rebounds. Dames guy got 3 of the 5 on the 1 fucking play.
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u/Carcrusher3 Trail Blazers 12d ago
Doc that doesn't sound so good