Maybe I can ask Bob if he'd like to come on PFA Radio. We aren't friends, but he follows me on Twitter, sometimes replies to stuff I post, and we're on good terms.
That's one episode where I can guarantee Sanlmar will listen.
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Maybe I can ask Bob if he'd like to come on PFA Radio. We aren't friends, but he follows me on Twitter, sometimes replies to stuff I post, and we're on good terms.
That's one episode where I can guarantee Sanlmar will listen.
Good call about SGA's foul rate drying up in a playoff series with them, that will definitely happen. I think OKC is too good and young for the Lakers to survive but a peak Luka changes the equation.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCR
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy Joe
My book still has Lakers at +500 to win WCF. That is second. OKC is nasty. But unproven and young. I don't know if I would say Lakers are likely, but I know I would rather be getting 5-1 on Lakers than laying -155 on OKC. They could run into a revitalized GS earlier than OKC, but I think the Lakers two headed beast is too strong for Steph/Butler. Denver doesn't appear to have it, and that one game was impressive, but it is still one game.
Luka needs to be playing like prime Luka for 40 minutes if necessary, by then.
I don't think they can beat Boston or Cleveland. I think Cleveland is worst matchup just from a roster construction perspective for Lakers just given the two bigs and depth that can run off 12 straight when you have to sit one of them. They ate up the Lakers inside in both meetings with AD this year. Different team now, but I don’t think that advantage changes. But they likely won’t have to play them. I still think Boston is probably 65-70% to beat Cavs if fully healthy. But Porzingis is not often fully healthy, and Jrue is getting up there, Cavs will have home court, so not impossible. I really don't think anyone in the east is even close to those 2. Knicks can't beat anyone with a winning record. Bucks are tough series, but a tough one you win in 6.
Either way, like Lebron and Luka are the type of guys you can count on one hand in all NBA history who can just take over and elevate almost anyone to the finals. So nothing would shock me including winning it all. Plus the NBA would just love that story, so they are going to get some calls. SGA gets really cheap calls. A Lakers-OKC series would be strange I am guessing for SGA when he all of a sudden isn't getting that whistle for touching him. They might fall apart.
Luka isn't even firing on all cylinders yet, when his shooting percentage ticks up and (if) he gets in better shape he'll be considerably more dangerous.
I don't know if 40 year old LeBron can withstand a long playoff run but I wouldn't bet against it.
Don't think the Lakers have the depth to win it all and can't see them beating Boston in a series but making the Finals wouldn't surprise me at all.
If the season ended today, the Cavs would have the 6th highest win percentage in NBA history. Of the 5 teams ahead of them, all won the championship besides of course the 73-9 Warriors, which if you don't remember was even more rigged than a Chiefs game. It's hard to imagine them beating Boston, but +600 is interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Listened all the way through. Amazing how you can be involved betting sports tangentially for decades and I had never even considered which basket someone is shooting at in first half and that angle. Never seen anyone mention it in even hushed tones.
Whole thing was interesting. I can’t imagine how much he’s worth if he sold everything and put it all into btc since 3300. Seems insane.
Most mind blowing part for me was the end. I recall posting about peptides like a dozen years ago as I was heading that direction. I’m on probably 75% of what he quickly mentioned.
But fast food threads here get six pages and I don’t think I got any response. Quality control of manufacturers is big when going that road. Lot of shady companies in that space. The guy who got me into it was a former professional bodybuilder from NY. Once a top 10 guy in world, but he was already in trouble physically with his kidneys from years of horrible anabolic abuse. For him it was his livelihood, and he was looking for any way to stay relevant in that world. Too late for him. Damage was done from his abuse young and he checked out like 5 years ago. Taught me a lot. Had tons of regret and young ones.
Stem cells for injury recovery and even athletic edge was familiar to me. Didn’t know people were doing it for just quality of life.
Guy is always super interesting. We all know the Lakers story and skycap origins. You aren’t ever getting him for 3 hours so I hate that he gets those questions in every interview. And he’s always vague. Understandable, but I always want to ask 3 follow ups.
Wish they would have asked more about the economics and just what it’s like to own one of those mid tier soccer teams. The different tiers of soccer all over Europe fascinate me. The local passion in each little town. So different from here. Only college sports is even close.
Always great listen if you recommend. Thanks
I like OKC, DEN, and Golden State over the Lakers in a 7 game series. I do, though, agree with the above. OKC is getting no favors. Warriors might though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy JoeGood call about SGA's foul rate drying up in a playoff series with them, that will definitely happen. I think OKC is too good and young for the Lakers to survive but a peak Luka changes the equation.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCR
Luka isn't even firing on all cylinders yet, when his shooting percentage ticks up and (if) he gets in better shape he'll be considerably more dangerous.
I don't know if 40 year old LeBron can withstand a long playoff run but I wouldn't bet against it.
Don't think the Lakers have the depth to win it all and can't see them beating Boston in a series but making the Finals wouldn't surprise me at all.
Should really be an interesting playoffs. You can argue 5-7 teams could win, which is rare in NBA.
Meanwhile looking back at that travesty of a trade, I was talking with a local friend...."if you were Blazers GM, and Luka was shopped, what is the offer?"
I said literally pick 4 prime assets (players or 1st picks). Clingan/Sharpe plus two 1's? Cool. Then pick 2 out of Ayton/Simons/Grant to make the salaries match.
I'd do that in a heartbeat. Can't wait for the book 20 years from now about wtf happened with the Luka trade.
And if they had actually shopped him instead of getting a routinely injured star this deal wouldn't be in the top 10, despite being massive.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Denver seems like a choker this year. There's already been a lot of games where they simply don't look good. It doesn't feel like a 40-22 team.Quote:
Originally Posted by gutI like OKC, DEN, and Golden State over the Lakers in a 7 game series. I do, though, agree with the above. OKC is getting no favors. Warriors might though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy Joe
Should really be an interesting playoffs. You can argue 5-7 teams could win, which is rare in NBA.
OKC gives me the vibe of those good Toronto regular season teams which could never run deep into the playoffs.
I'm not convinced by Golden State yet.
As noted above, Lakers have no depth.
Western Conference playoffs will be very interesting. Will be a tragedy if the ECF doesn't feature the Cavs and Celtics.
That's a ridiculous comparison, they're way better than that. But I do think they're vulnerable if/when their depth gets cold in the playoffs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffDenver seems like a choker this year. There's already been a lot of games where they simply don't look good. It doesn't feel like a 40-22 team.Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
OKC gives me the vibe of those good Toronto regular season teams which could never run deep into the playoffs.
I'm not convinced by Golden State yet.
As noted above, Lakers have no depth.
Western Conference playoffs will be very interesting. Will be a tragedy if the ECF doesn't feature the Cavs and Celtics.
Hard to see any of the veteran teams being able to keep up with their pace but things slow way down in the playoffs.
The end of that Lakers game last night against the Knicks was incredible, LBJ's defense was amazing. Luka seems more settled now, may put some wood on them soon.
https://x.com/HyattStats/status/1898254609996828720
First 30-20-20 game ever, sure, but he actually recorded two trip doubles in one game. They will still give the MVP to some free throw compiling Canadian guy who likely will not be relevant two or three years from now.
That's an idiotic sentiment when SGA's team is a cool 11 games ahead in the standings and shows you never watch basketball and/or are retarded.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
But the gap between Jokic and the next best players is as large since peak LeBron and Jordan and their competition. Hes that good.
MVP always includes dumb narratives, which is why guys like Embiid and Harden won one.
Barring Jokic averaging 30-10-10 for the rest of the year it's SGA's year. The odds shifted dramatically toward Jokic after that one game against an imploding Suns team, time to throw on SGA.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy JoeThat's an idiotic sentiment when SGA's team is a cool 11 games ahead in the standings and shows you never watch basketball and/or are retarded.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
But the gap between Jokic and the next best players is as large since peak LeBron and Jordan and their competition. Hes that good.
MVP always includes dumb narratives, which is why guys like Embiid and Harden won one.
Barring Jokic averaging 30-10-10 for the rest of the year it's SGA's year. The odds shifted dramatically toward Jokic after that one game against an imploding Suns team, time to throw on SGA.
What exactly did you say here that refuted any thing I said in any way? Jokic is clearly the better player and is having an all time season. The Canadian black guy that shoots a ton of free throws is playing on a better team. Jokic is still more valuable and essential to his team's success.
There are roids rumors about Lebron.
Nothing verified.
It is curious how his body looks so muscular and he plays so well at age 40. While Lebron is indeed a unique talent, he is miles above any other player in NBA history at age 40, and that does have to make you wonder.
Remember Barry Bonds at age 40?
The conspiracy theory is that the NBA is aware of this, but because Lebron is still one of the main faces of the NBA, they are covering it up.
I'm not sure what to believe here. Is it possible that Lebron could be playing this well with his natural ability, at this late age?
is pfa a racist hate site now?
Jokic teammates are close or equal to SGA’s. Considering scrawny Chet missed most of the year, better. SGA is also a two way player and elite defender. I love how Jokkc plays, but SGA is more effective on both ends this year, thus their record. Jokic is having a great offensive season. SGA having better all around season considering defense matters.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnPQuote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy Joe
What exactly did you say here that refuted any thing I said in any way? Jokic is clearly the better player and is having an all time season. The Canadian black guy that shoots a ton of free throws is playing on a better team. Jokic is still more valuable and essential to his team's success.
I was surprised how easy it was to beat Denver this year. Cavs scored 149 last time even calling off the dogs. Jokic is great but racks up a lot of those numbers because their defense sucks and they spend the whole game trading baskets.
OKC is hard as fuck to score against and we played then without Chet when they didn’t have as much rim protection. The notion SGA is some media driven DEI MVP is a casual fan take who doesn’t watch a lot or understand the game. He’s the best player on a nasty team. In the regular season he’s a much better player than Kobe ever was during regular season. There was no point Kobe could ever have that OKC team at this record in his career. League is way deeper now, so he will have to translate it to post season and I do hate his whistle, but Kobe got every call also and did everything less efficiently. SGA is a freakishly strong dude at 6’6. Locks guy down
Embiid over Jokic was a joke driven by woke NBA media. Jokic over SGA would be just as laughable.
See Harlabob posts about bio hacking. In his tax bracket, that’s the ticket to longevity. Roids cause more injuries younger. This isn’t baseball. You’re running the length of the court switching directions while backpedaling at full speed and constantly cutting. His lack of injuries point to anything besides traditional anabolic steroids.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Yeah it's definitely not roids but he's 100% on some regimen that may or may not be legal.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCRSee Harlabob posts about bio hacking. In his tax bracket, that’s the ticket to longevity. Roids cause more injuries younger. This isn’t baseball. You’re running the length of the court switching directions while backpedaling at full speed and constantly cutting. His lack of injuries point to anything besides traditional anabolic steroids.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
He definitely picks his spots and vacillates between looking totally washed and still being a top 5 player.
I even wonder if shit like his groin injury was premeditated and it's simply a means for him to rest up and build in some chemical magic in time for the playoffs.
There are some really awful takes in the post, the recency bias and the idea that the Denver roster is close to or equal to OKC if you remove Jokic and SGA being the worst.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCRJokic teammates are close or equal to SGA’s. Considering scrawny Chet missed most of the year, better. SGA is also a two way player and elite defender. I love how Jokkc plays, but SGA is more effective on both ends this year, thus their record. Jokic is having a great offensive season. SGA having better all around season considering defense matters.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
I was surprised how easy it was to beat Denver this year. Cavs scored 149 last time even calling off the dogs. Jokic is great but racks up a lot of those numbers because their defense sucks and they spend the whole game trading baskets.
OKC is hard as fuck to score against and we played then without Chet when they didn’t have as much rim protection. The notion SGA is some media driven DEI MVP is a casual fan take who doesn’t watch a lot or understand the game. He’s the best player on a nasty team. In the regular season he’s a much better player than Kobe ever was during regular season. There was no point Kobe could ever have that OKC team at this record in his career. League is way deeper now, so he will have to translate it to post season and I do hate his whistle, but Kobe got every call also and did everything less efficiently. SGA is a freakishly strong dude at 6’6. Locks guy down
Embiid over Jokic was a joke driven by woke NBA media. Jokic over SGA would be just as laughable.
This should be an eye opening stat. Jokic touches the ball nearly 35 times more per game yet still has a higher player efficiency rating. Imagine if he had the OKC roster. The area I spend the most time in is the "Four States" - where OK, AR, KS, and MO join together. The Thunder are the designated team there, and their games are broadcast locally whenever possible. I also have family all throughout the OKC area, I'm more than familiar with the team. SGA is strange case. He didn't come into the league as elite. This is his 7th season, which casual fans may not realize. - I just don't see this guy as a generational type of player, and his career arc looks to be in line with the pre age 30 flame out. What we are seeing from Jokic is someone playing the game possibly better and more intelligently than anyone ever has, and it is largely going unappreciated.
https://x.com/GamedayGarage/status/1898813752838893787
MVP
https://x.com/g12_lj/status/1898818310231277645
40 points on 32 shots and 8 free throws. MVP.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
Do you think this is a dig? So Jokic scores 24 on 23 shots and 6 fts despite rarely driving and Holmgren is a +33 because he offers no resistance at rim and you somehow walk away thinking the Nuggets scoring 103 points and losing by 20 is a win? This is why he is the MVP. Two sides to the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
The "MVP" leads the league in in field goal attempts per game. The MVP is 41st in effective field goal percentage - obviously this category favors big men, but amongst guards he's ranked 12th. The guy is a decent player, but this is more a situational thing making him look like something that he's not - something akin to a younger Kawhi if he was a worse defender, worse shooter, yet a ball hog combined with James Harden on the Rockets. Steph Curry has had 5 seasons with an EFG in the 60s to give you a comparison to an actual, modern hall of fame level guard.
https://x.com/HyattStats/status/1899159090536100277
Again, more numbers that not only show the impact Jokic has but provide more indications that SGA is greatly benefiting by being the first option on a really good offensive team. It is not as simple as this, but it at minimum is an indicator.
Can confirm. I've watched a few Denver games when Jokic was missing, and they just looked terrible.
I don't see this team making it deep in this year's postseason.
Also, don't look now, but the Lakers are #2 seed in the West. They could easily end up facing the dysfunctional Clippers in the first round.
I took a little bite on TWolves +3200 to win Western Conference. They are both a dumb and inconsistent team, but Randle is playing within himself when healthy and when I look at the western conference and think to myself who could theoretically get hot and go on a run, it’s the TWolves. They have been playing Randle as a point forward quite a bit and he looks way more engaged and has been having a lot of assists in addition to his normal game. I can’t believe I’m talking nicely about Randle.
You have OKC sitting up top. Then Denver who is just not good enough imo. Then Lakers and I’m not sure they are going to be healthy enough and no bigs. Then GS who is both old and those 2 are not quite enough imo. Then you have Memphis who is also a special needs basketball IQ team at +2000 and TWolves at +3200. I like the Wolves better.
They are tied for last non play in spot with GS. Both teams hot with 5 and six wins in a row.
I just look at those teams above them and think who do I really think they lose a 7 game series to for sure and besides OKC, I’m not sure I like any of them to beat them. Problem is they are going to have to go through OKC most likely before the finals, so the hedging opportunities won’t be as good. They just have that type of team who is a handful in the playoffs imo. Big bodies, athletes, defense.
Reducing him down to this is stupid and terrible and proves you don't watch basketball.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
You know you’re loving your team a little bit too much when you watch this video and the camaraderie is secondary to being the overprotective mom thinking don’t get hurt.
They are really good. I still can't shake the history of Mitchell teams overperforming in the regular season only to get waxed in the playoffs but there's basically no statistical case against them. Did not think I would ever like watching Donovan Mitchell play basketball after growing weary of those Utah teams but here we are.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCR
Would love to see them throttle the Celtics, weirdly I've grown to like watching Tatum more but their team overall less. Really hope the NBA does something about putting a cap on three point attempts, Celtics shot over 60 in that OKC loss and it was brutal to watch.
Also nice that Portland is fun to watch after being garbage since 2020. I went to Knicks-Blazers this week and it was one of the best regular season games I have ever seen.
Detroit looks for real as well, saw them last week in Portland.
Probably not good enough to get out of the first round but a fun team that plays super hard.
If I'm Cleveland or especially Boston I would want no part of them, they would win but it would be hard fought. The east will not be the cake walk it was for Boston last year.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sloppy Joe
I really liked JBB as far as he’s a guy who keeps your locker room together and gets them to play hard, but you get into a series where it becomes about film breakdown and such, I was frustrated by him to no end. Forget drawing up a play coming out of timeout. He was league worst at that. I agree Detroit is at right stage of development where he will benefit them. He’s a starter coach once you have a few guys that helps develop good work ethic. They have a few really nice players and are on their way up. Cade in particular.
The Cavs are just mowing real teams down. They coast against bad teams. They rest Donovan and Hunter and walk into Memphis and bludgeon them. Mobley dominated JJJ for second time in a row.
Every time you see some national guy on twitter say something nice about Cavs, the Knicks and Celtics fans are talking that fake Hawks team. They ain’t that. The Knicks fans are delusional.
The notion that wait until the playoffs come and rotations get shorter hurting us is a little silly imo. No one has played less minutes than our starters. Every time the Celtics play a good team Tatum is over 40 when I look. Brown and White close. We literally have one guy averaging over 30mpg. We are just that deep. Even in that huge comeback against Celtics Kenny stays the course and the most anyone played was 35. Whole Boston team was near 40 or over So imo they are already playing close to playoff minutes and we aren’t. Obviously Porzingas being injury prone and Jrue being dinged hurt them. Jrue and Derrick white are scariest guys on Celtics from Cavs perspective. You know Tatum will get his shots. Jrue defense is part that scares you.
Doesn’t mean I think we beat them for sure. They are the champs for a reason. They are a really hard math problem to solve, but it’s closer than most think.
Brown, Tatum and Mitchell are all around same age. Tatum a year young. And Mitchell is our vet. All those Knicks guys like Kat, Brunson, and OG are older than Mitchell. And all have played obscene minutes for Thibs.
We are young, deep, and we are going to be well rested.
Nice win by your Blazers sloppy and Gut even though they seemed intent on making me sweat.
Caught this late only for them to fall down even further to where I was counting it as a loss before the late rally.
Single
@
+180
Won
Mar 16 • 2025 At 07:39:43 PM
Ticket ID: 88714747
Moneyline: POR Trail Blazers
TOR Raptors @ POR Trail Blazers
I feel like they have become the most predictable team over the last month. They will beat teams worse than them, lose to better teams. 2 of their regulars will shoot horribly, pick any random 2!Quote:
Originally Posted by BCR
Its stage 3 of a 5 stage rebuild. A solid .400 winning percentage team. Aka the Bulls for 10 years now.
https://x.com/strifeomg/status/1901496357057159650
LeBatard brings up the obvious question. If you're not familiar with him, he had for years the most popular sports radio show and podcast in the country, which was simulcast on ESPN networks, and was also the host and creator of Highly Questionable. Before all of that he was and still is a well respected journalist based out of Miami. He is friends with both Pat Riley and the Heat ownership.
I listened to his show pretty regularly for years. He would often bring up PEDs and LeBron but always cut himself off before saying too much about the golden boy. One got the strong impression that it was basically an open secret. The connections of everyone in LeBron's orbit to steroid clinics is enough in itself, and let's not forget the whole "steroid vacation" debacle.
In high school I knew more than one highly recruited athlete, what did they have in common? Openly admitting to juicing. Kids start this shit early. One thing that has essentially been memory holed is LeBron having a tumor removed from his parotid gland in 2009.
"Possible Links Between PED Use and Parotid Gland Tumors
1. Anabolic Steroids and Hormonal Changes
• Anabolic steroids (testosterone, synthetic androgens) can cause hormonal imbalances that may influence the growth of certain tissues.
• While there’s no strong evidence directly linking steroids to parotid gland tumors, excessive hormone use has been associated with salivary gland hypertrophy and possibly benign growths.
2. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and IGF-1 Stimulation
• HGH and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are often abused by athletes and bodybuilders.
• IGF-1 promotes cell proliferation, which may increase the risk of tumor development, including in salivary glands.
• Some studies suggest an increased risk of benign tumors (pleomorphic adenomas) or malignancies in tissues affected by IGF-1.
3. Insulin and Other Metabolic Manipulators
• Some athletes misuse insulin or related drugs to enhance muscle growth.
• Insulin and IGF-1 share growth-promoting properties, potentially influencing tumor development in various glands.
4. Chronic Inflammation and Immune Disorders Suppression
• Certain PEDs (e.g., corticosteroids, immune-modulating substances) alter immune function and may contribute to chronic inflammation, which can increase the risk of tumor formation.
5. Salivary Gland Enlargement in PED Users
• Some bodybuilders using HGH or steroids have reported swollen parotid glands, which may reflect glandular hyperplasia (excess growth).
• While this does not directly indicate tumors, chronic stimulation of growth factors in the salivary glands could create a more favorable environment for tumor development over time."
I would bet every dollar I have against a McDouble that he has routinely abused HGH and other PEDs since he was a teenager. Now he is likely cycling in the offseason and doing some sort of advanced blood doping for recovery throughout the season.
I had Raptors +6.5. So was definitely sweating bullets the last 6 minutes of the game.Quote:
Originally Posted by BCR
Agree, not sure what the cocktail is but he's rarely gotten hurt and still can look like the most dangerous player in the league when he's feeling it.Quote:
Originally Posted by VaughnP
If he was just still pretty good most of the time I might think differently but he goes from looking more than washed to absolute elite. Was taking two weeks off all the way back to 2016, maybe even earlier.
I posted earlier but think his groin injury is mostly bullshit to get his ass in the lab before the playoffs. He had been playing all out since even before Luka.
To my knowledge it's never been more than chatter but pretty clearly hrs on something illicit.
The guys who get caught are never stars and probably just had a sloppier program in place. It's probably rampant.
I posted this on March 9. I see it's catching on now perhaps because LeBatard is discussing it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
I think players slip under the radar in the NBA with the juicing, because that's more known as a baseball thing. A guy crushes 40 HR in his late 30s, people immediately think roids. Lebron has the muscular body of a young man and plays like one at age 40, and people just talk about how undeniably great he is.
I really think there's a good chance he's the Bonds of the NBA -- a super-talented guy who decided he didn't want his career to fade with age.
Could you see the NBA, or the mainstream sports media for that matter, pressing a Lebron roid narrative? It would be suicide to do so.
I am a Lakers fan, but I can't help but think these rumors are true.
Stephen A. Smith had made some remarks about Bronny not being ready for the NBA, and Lebron took it personally, and angrily confronted Smith at a Lakers game.
In an interview following the confrontation, Smith is shockingly muted (dude is usually screaming) and seemingly shaken.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6MUjan4lVA
Smith recently signed a 5-year, $100m deal with ESPN (what???), so he's basically untouchable, even by someone like Lebron. Still, you can see how Smith is nervous about the whole thing, perhaps fearing that Lebron will exert some kind of influence to harm his career.
The whole Bronny thing is a disaster. It was clear for a long time that the kid just doesn't have NBA level talent, nor does he have the size to perhaps make up for it. Bronny is under 6'2" and not muscular nor big framed.
Lebron clearly wanted the father-son NBA moment, and he got it, but much of it at the expense of his kid, who is routinely derided in sports social media. Had Bronny attempted an NBA career but failed due to lacking his dad's talent, it would be a non-story. Most sons of pro athletes don't go on to make the pros themselves. Lebron's genes got diluted, the kid took more after his non-athlete mom, and that's that.
I don't often share Atlantic articles, but this one about Bronny is a good one: https://archive.ph/vBDtC
I do feel a little bit bad for Bronny. He seems like a nice kid. He may not have inherited his dad's talent, but he also seems to have dodged inheriting Lebron's arrogance. I'm sure a lot of him wishes that he chose a different career path.