The 2023 NBA Playoffs Was Not Supposed To Be Like This…

Ladies and gentlemen, have the 2023 playoffs been off the hook, or what? I mean, an 8th seed beat a 1st seed, a 7th seed beat a 2nd seed, a 6th seed beat a 3rd seed, and a 5th seed beat a 4th seed. It's like the regular season doesn't even matter anymore. Maybe Kawhi and the Clippers are onto something. Nah, they still need to play ball. But seriously guys, home court advantage seems to mean less than ever. With that being said, let's get into some good ol' hot takes, the 2023 Playoff Edition. To start off this video is the hot take that Jimmy Butler is currently a top 5 player in the entire NBA. Honestly, this is a tough one. During the regular seasons, he looks just like a borderline all-star, averaging in the low 20s when it comes to points production. Then when it comes to efficiency, he's good, but not elite. When the playoffs arrive, however, Jimmy Butler literally transforms into a complete different animal. I mean, in 2022, he gentleman swept Giannis and the Bucks, who were the number one seed in the East, then led his team to the NBA Finals, where they were two wins away from winning a championship. 2021 was an off-year for him, but in 2022, he led the Miami Heat to the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and he was one three-point shot away from going back to the NBA Finals. Then this year, in 2023, he became like Michael Jordan, as he averaged about 38 points on elite shooting efficiencies, en route to once again eliminating Giannis and the number one seed, the Milwaukee Bucks. It's hard to put him in the top 5 when you consider players like Jokic, Embiid, Giannis, Curry, Durant, AD, LeBron, Leonard, Tatum, Luka, Harden, and others. But at the same time, you can't ignore his resume and what he's been able to accomplish in the postseason. He just destroyed the 2023 favorites to win it all, then he sat down, ate popcorn, smiled, and waved to the away crowd. He really is Michael Jordan's son. So with regards to the take, I would say that he's right outside the top 5, but I wouldn't have any problems if someone put him in it. He's that good. Anyway, next up is the hot take that Jalen Brunson is better than Donovan Mitchell. Sheesh, guys. On one hand, one of the players dropped 71 points this season and is one of the most electric guards in the league. Then on the other hand, you have a second round pick who's shooting just a bit shy of 50, 40, and 90, and he's leading his team to postseason success. Then to top it off, Brunson just gentlemen swept Mitchell and the Cavaliers. You know, I may be a prisoner of the moment, but I'd say although Mitchell is more skilled on offense, Brunson isn't that far behind him. Plus, he's able to find better ways to involve his team, and from an overall impact point of view, he impacts the game more than Mitchell. So yeah, I'd say Brunson is a better overall player at the moment. The next hot take is that the referees are rigging the Warriors and Lakers series. Well, what I mean by that is Dennis Schroeder had more free throws than the entire Warriors team. The Lakers had 29, 10 of which were from Schroeder, while the Warriors had six. I know Golden State is a three-point shooting team that doesn't drive as much as other teams, but guys, how could a guard get more free throws than an entire team? How could a team get five times more free throws than the other? I mean, if the Warriors even had one-third of the calls the Lakers got, they would have won Game 1, but the disparity is so big that it's laughable. I hate the idea that the league is rigged, and I refuse to believe so, but when I see things like this, what else am I supposed to think? I'm actually going to hold judgment on this for now, but from a business point of view, it makes sense that the league would want the Lakers to advance. But what do you guys think about this one? Anyway, next up is the take that Dylan Brooks is going to play for the Shanghai Sharks next season. Well, to be honest, if you ignore all his antics, he's a decent defender, but a horrible shooter. The question the NBA teams will have for him is, 1. Can he shoot better? And 2. Can he tone down his antics so it doesn't ruffle up the team's image? To be perfectly honest, I don't think any NBA teams are going to sign him based on his shooting abilities alone. He shot sub 40% from both the field and three-point range, and I don't think he's going to miraculously improve over the offseason. Then when you add in the fact that teams don't know what to expect from him from a personality standpoint, because of the image that he's painted for himself, it gets even worse. You know, despite me talking about his dynasty all year long, I wish him no ill will. I actually hope he finds a job within the NBA so I could keep talking about him. But from just a basketball standpoint, unless he accepts a much smaller role coming off the bench, I see him signing overseas, and the Shanghai Sharks don't sound too bad. The next hot take is, 2. Jordan Poole should be traded in the offseason. Alright, so when he's rolling, he's rolling, and when he's not, he's not. Most criticism for the young Poole party is a result of his overall attitude, his shot selection, and his defense. Those are actually some big glaring issues, but at the same time, he was instrumental to the Warriors 2022 championship run. Without him, I don't think the Warriors would have won it all last year. So my thoughts are, at the moment, if the Warriors could keep the entire team together, it'd be a bad idea to trade him because he's still a young player who will only get better from his mishaps this season. But if for salary purposes, they had to choose between him, Draymond, Klay, or Wiggins, as sad as it'd be, the Warriors would have to trade the Poole party. JP3 is part of the Warriors' core, but at the moment, he's the weakest link in that core, and though I love the dude, he'd be the first to go. The next hot take is, 3. Nikola Jokic is a liability in the playoffs. Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've finally been able to see what the two-time MVP could do with a healthy roster, and so far, he's been looking just as beastly as he is in the regular season. I mean, he's been making Durant and the Suns look bad for Pete's sake. That series is 2-0 at the moment, and a huge reason is because of the performances of the Joker. The 7-foot center has answered the bell, and some. I mean, his craftiness, his skills, and his size makes him nearly unstoppable in the paint. So far through 7 games in the playoffs, the Joker has been averaging about 28 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists, on shooting splits of 49, 47, and 74. That is some next-level stuff, so this isn't really a hot take. Nikola Jokic is not a liability in the playoffs. Like everyone else, he has weaknesses such as his high defense in pick-and-roll situations, but to say he's a liability in the postseason is basketball blasphemy at its highest. Next off is the take, Kevin Durant will never win another title. Well, he's turning 35 this year, and he isn't getting any younger. He's also racking up a few different injuries every single year, and to make things worse, he'll have to get by Nikola Jokic in the West, which doesn't look possible, even with this Phoenix Sun squad. It's pretty clear now that the only way he wins another title is if he somehow gets himself reacquired by the Golden State Warriors, but he has too much pride to do that. So no, as great as KD is, I don't see him winning another championship. Last off here is the take, James Harden is the second-best point guard in the league. Well, for years. He's been at the receiving end of jokes about his performances in the postseason, but this year, he seems to be making a comeback. I mean, his 45-point outburst against the Celtics in that Game 1 was nothing short of spectacular. It'd be absurd to put him ahead of Steph Curry, but who else is there? Luka? Young? Marant? You know, for these three, an argument could be made that they're a better scorer than what we're seeing from Harden these days, but the thing is, Harden's shown that he has the ability to adapt to his team's needs and could be plugged in easier to any team and instantly makes them better. For example, imagine putting in Luka with Embiid. That probably wouldn't work because Luka needs the ball in his hands. The same could be said with Trae Young and Marant, but yet, Harden's able to adjust his game to complement other stars. Again, I may be a prisoner of the moment, but from what we've seen of Harden all year, like his ability to take over games when Embiid isn't playing and his ability to co-star along the 2023 MVP, I'd say Harden is currently the second-best point guard in the NBA today. Anyway, which stakes do you agree with? Which ones do you disagree with? Drop a comment down below, then watch this next video.