Duncan Robinson going to NBA Finals
Our man Dunc played strong minutes in the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 11+ points, shooting 48% (!) from 3-point land (15-for-31), and contributing in other ways (huge assists/ rebounds/ backdoor layups). I noticed he played some crunch time minutes and even led the Heat in scoring in 1 or 2 of the games. Like to see him get a NBA title and a ring. Come a long way from Williams College and the Dak & Dunc Show on WCBN!
Spectacular.
Denver in 5, over Miami.
The East is awful but maybe Miami will continue to surprise.
The east has been the better conference all year, really. Boston, Milwaukee and Philly all would have been favored over the Nuggets.
Going into the playoffs, I'd have agreed with that, but Denver has just been in a tier of its own during the playoffs. Even though they would not have HCA vs the top 3 East seeds, a lot of that was them just going on cruise control the last 1.5 months of the regular season - and as we definitively saw, Boston can lose on its home floor as much as anyone can.
Duncan was almost unrecognizable from the player he'd been up through this year - especially in comparison to Not Just A Shooter Nik Stauskas, we all definitely and not inaccurately pigeonholed him as Just A Shooter, and even though he eventually became college-level passable on defense, he was still NBA-bad at defense for most of his career. The thing that tickled me the most was him taunting the crowd in game 7. If you'd told me a few years ago he'd be doing that, I'd ask what kind of good ganja you were smoking and can you share some.
Re: the "unrecognizable" part, I couldn't agree more. I went to the Heat-Wizards game at the end of the year. All of the starters on both teams were "injured" (seems to happen a lot when teams come to DC), so D-Rob got the start. He looked awful. Cooked. Done. Completely lost on the court. Against what was essentially a G-League DC team. It was sad. He was 180 degrees different last night, including the taunt. I couldn't believe it was the same person.
If they get to 5, it'll be because Denver came to a game stoned.
After missing 2 wide-open 3s at the (losing) end of game 6, the joyous redemption on Duncan’s face last night was a pleasure to see.
Certainly, Denver has looked more like a monster getting to the finals than Miami, but the East still plays better defense. Gotta see how the matchups play out, e.g., can Denver beat a zone? Boston couldn’t.
I enjoy rooting for this iteration of the Heat esp w D’Rob tossing in the threes… but the plain truth is that the Nuggets are gonna maul them.
Dude can shoot...but also can slash to the basket...he's a weapon
Duncan Robinson, DR... is ... the Doctor.
Good luck in the finals...
Question for those who follow the NBA closely: How likely was a Miami win in Boston last night with Tatum rolling his ankle early in the game?
I watched the whole game. Boston's offense has been fragile at times, breaking down when their scheme is disrupted. The second I saw Tatum roll his ankle, I knew Boston was in trouble. Tatum couldn't cut, so no penetration drives, was uncomfortable on the move, so not much help on the P'n'R, no real defense. The only thing he could do is shoot if a) no one was closing on him, and b) he didn't need to move or elevate. Anyway, since so much of Boston's offense runs through Tatum, they were in trouble. The straw that broke the back was Miami's switch to zone, Boston couldn't do a thing with it.
Also, Miami's coach 'seems' like the best coach in the NBA. What he is getting out of that team is pretty amazing IMO.
I saw a graphic somewhere last week, probably after they went up 3-0, showing that none of their guys (or at least none of their meaningful contributors) were high value lottery picks or considered to be superstars in the making when they came out of college and got drafted. Obviously Jimmy Butler has emerged into becoming one of the better players in the game, but they really don't have any of the "superstar, household name" talent that you expect to see from recent winners like Golden State or the Lakers.
Just goes to show they've drafted extremely well, they scout very well, and while the NBA is probably the pro league I pay attention to the least, I'm thinking Spoelstra has to be one of the best coaches, if not the best coach in the game.
They're doing this all without a LeBron, without a Steph, without an Embiid. In a league that is truly driven by superstars and titles are generally won now by the "super-teams."
I heard the announcer say last night that 56% of their points (or was it 56 points per game?, either is impressive) come from undrafted players.
Going into the series I thought that while I would've given Butler a slight nod of Tatum, the rest of Boston's rotation was collectively better than Miami's. Caleb Martin singlehandedly proved me wrong; however it turns out the biggest mismatch in that series was the head coaching one.
He is, of course, Juwan's mentor. We run a lot of the same actions. Our issue is more about roster management.
Boston was lucky to win Game 6 with a healthy Tatum. You don't win many NBA games shooting 20% from 3. Did they learn their lesson? No. They kept jacking up threes last night.
Miami still won that game comfortably because of Caleb Martin. He was the MVP of that series. You can overcome Jimmy Butler scoring 28 points on 28 shots, but they had no answer for Caleb.
Celtics fan and this 100%. The offense has been completely 1 dimensional jacking up 3's, Chuck Barkley kept pointing it out. With Udoka as coach, the team seemed more balanced taking the ball to the rack. But Tatum is a soft super star, that's just one of the most frustrating things. He gets you to the ECF and that's it. I know alot of other franchises would love to be in this position, but there's a frustration that comes with always coming up short.
But hats off to the Heat, there really is a culture in that program. Look at all the low draft, undrafted players contributing last night (Duncan, Vincent, Martin, Strus, Highsmith, etc) and you understand how they are in almost every game. They got alot of dawg in them. Now Bam Adebayo sets bad picks on every play and gets away with it, and their other guys do the same - so you can debate on how that gives them an obvious advantage getting downhill on every PNR. But it's good coaching, and those guys come to play every game. Hats off to the Heat, should be a competitive Finals - depending on how refs call the high PNR.
Tatum and Brown = Robin and Robin. Put Butler with Tatum and they aren't losing.
Well if Miami didn't lose Tyler Herro in the 1st game of the playoffs, who knows they may have beaten Boston in 5 or 6 games. Did I mention Victor Oladipo was also lost in the 1st playoff series.
Injuries are part of the game and the better teams overcome them. Tyler is back for the Nuggets so Duncan's minutes maybe limited.
Boston certainly had the better roster of players… but the dramatically worse coach (best in NBA v most inexperienced—there probaby has never been a coaching gulf like that in n a conf finals). Heat were already severely winged by the Herro/Oladipo injuries. SO, Boston blew it by losing G2 and doing the no-show for G3. They gave themselves no margin for error by needing to win 4 in a row, which means one ankle turn or one boneheaded coaching decision could end the series. The Tatum injury was basically just a kind of predictable obstacle you expect to happen somewhere in a 4-game span, so Boston can’t do a “what if” bc they never should have let it get to G7.
It sure seems like the Celtics could use a coach that really inspires confidence like a Larry Brown type. Mazzulla is terrible fit.
To be fair to Mazzulla, he was put in a tough spot. He's not ready to be an HC, but the Celts didn't have another choice, unless Brad Stevens went back to coaching, which may have been the better choice in hindsight.
They need a veteran coach they'll listen to because I just have to believe Joe was telling those guys to get off the 3-point line and drive the ball to the basket.
I'm a sucker for an underdog story. Go Heat and go Dunc!
glad they were able to win game 7 otherwise those two misses in game 6 would have haunted him forever
Agreed -- but I also think that if you are shooting 50% from 3 at decent volume against elite competition in a Conference Finals, you're allowed to miss a couple shots. No one makes every shot.
Yeah, he's doing a lot of little things--becoming a playmaker--to keep him on the floor. Some of that, I think, involves having a good relationship, on-floor trust, with his teammates. Three pointers, meanwhile, are so much a matter of confidence, even for the best shooters.
I live in Florida, and haven't had a team to root for in the NBA for a long time, really since the Spurs' run. I enjoy watching these guys, though, and will be rooting for them.
Unfortunately, with Herro returning, it's back to the bench for Duncan.
That may be, but I think he'll still get a chance to make some plays in the Finals. They will need him.
bro, did you know he started college as a D3 players?!?
I heard that Charles Matthews was a transfer from Kentucky. Unconfirmed though.
In the all-time Michigan category of "I didn't see THAT career coming," Tom Brady is No. 1 and Duncan Robinson is No. 2 and nobody else is even close.
Moderate at best NBA fan here. However, whenever I have time to watch a game, I find myself seeking out the Heat. I appreciate their culture and I love the Duncan Robinson underdog story. Of course I don’t know him personally but he seems like a decent guy and I love the fact that he obtained generational wealth with his five year NBA contract.
Well said!
I'm so happy for Duncan, he is on such an incredible journey.
However... I am a long suffering Nuggets fan, and I want a championship. Maybe Duncan can join the Nuggets next year for a repeat (hopefully).
The Nuggets haven’t won much, but you’ve had the Broncos and Avs to clean up, so I’m not shedding too many tears.
The best Duncan Robinson in NBA history.
Here's second place:
Uncan!
Go Nuggets!
Though it isn't always the case, I've seen it far too many times where a great team sweeps their way into the championship game, only to get beat by a team that went 7, because they had too much rest and lost their rhythm. I think Denver is the better team, but it wouldn't be crazy for the tables to turn like that.
I listened to much of the game on radio (over the Internet) in the Singapore airport, while suffering through a triply disgusting bout of COVID (or something similar). I might not have made it through without the inspired performance of Duncan and the Heat.
aww sounds rough -- feel better soon Dan!! On the bright side, there are worse airports to be feeling so crappy, I guess. I remember that airport from a 18 hour layover (!) en route to Sri Lanka in 2005 to report on the tsunami. It was super nice and spacious and I found some quiet areas to just chill. Hope your travels are smooth!
I had a pretty lengthy layover at Changi around 2000. Grabbed a seat in the little movie theater and slept a bit while watching something. They've had some renovations and apparently it is even better now: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/11/travel/singapores-changi-airport-jewel.html