I've watched the replay a dozen times. He had Brunson as his target over the ball from the jump. Did Brunson embellish and flop? Yeah, he did, but you still can't go directly at a player and not the ball. And, color me shocked that the knicks hating beta males on Reddit disagree. If there's one place I don't go to for sports takes, it's Reddit.Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Then it would appear you don't know what a flagrant is. You don't have to take just my opinion for it. Refs agreed, commentators agreed outside of RJ, I believe, and basically everyone on the internet outside of this thread.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1u0rf0z/highlights_stephon_castle_shoves_brunson_to_the/
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Except most Knicks fans agreed in that thread. And show me the part of the flagrant 1 definition that states "can't go directly at a player and not the ball". If that were the case every hard box out on a perimeter player would be a flagrant foul. Again, the contact was to create space to grab the offensive board. It is quite clearly a basketball play. The common foul came from the force of the contact, partially embellished by Brunson.
And ironic you call redditors "beta males" when you're crying about Castle playing physical. Give me more of this kinda basketball. The NBA needs to advocate for more physical play like this as opposed to SGA style play. Anyone complaining about this is soft.
And ironic you call redditors "beta males" when you're crying about Castle playing physical. Give me more of this kinda basketball. The NBA needs to advocate for more physical play like this as opposed to SGA style play. Anyone complaining about this is soft.
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Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Give me more of this kinda basketball. The NBA needs to advocate for more physical play like this as opposed to SGA style play. Anyone complaining about this is soft.
Nobody is saying physicality is bad. I always enjoy the change in officiating from the regular season to the playoffs, especially this deep in the playoffs.
But it's basic common sense that Castle was trying to run through a muthafuh face. One of the announcers said that the "wind-up" was Castle's run up to Brunson. That makes sense. The intent was obvious because it happened lol.
So there was clear intent with a "wind-up," albeit not a typical wind-up of a punch, and excessive force. It was clearly excessive force because that was like a RB trying to run over a LB in the hole.
Vessel said:Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Give me more of this kinda basketball. The NBA needs to advocate for more physical play like this as opposed to SGA style play. Anyone complaining about this is soft.
Nobody is saying physicality is bad. I always enjoy the change in officiating from the regular season to the playoffs, especially this deep in the playoffs.
But it's basic common sense that Castle was trying to run through a muthafuh face. One of the announcers said that the "wind-up" was Castle's run up to Brunson. That makes sense. The intent was obvious because it happened lol.
So there was clear intent with a "wind-up," albeit not a typical wind-up of a punch, and excessive force. It was clearly excessive force because that was like a RB trying to run over a LB in the hole.
correct. it's not that hard.
he was trying to put brunson on his ass, not rebound the ball. Had he rebounded the ball as well, it'd have been a bonus, but priority number one was taking out brunson. Clear as day.
Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Except most Knicks fans agreed in that thread. And show me the part of the flagrant 1 definition that states "can't go directly at a player and not the ball". If that were the case every hard box out on a perimeter player would be a flagrant foul. Again, the contact was to create space to grab the offensive board. It is quite clearly a basketball play. The common foul came from the force of the contact, partially embellished by Brunson.
And ironic you call redditors "beta males" when you're crying about Castle playing physical. Give me more of this kinda basketball. The NBA needs to advocate for more physical play like this as opposed to SGA style play. Anyone complaining about this is soft.
I'm all for physical play. Inject all of that into the game as you can. Physicality and non-ball plays are not the same thing though. It reminds me of my days as a middle school hooper when I'd get frustrated when we had a turnover and I'd just sprint down and hard foul the fast breaking player into the wall. Yeah, turns out I got in trouble when I did that.
Stunned to find out RJ never played ball.Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Then it would appear you don't know what a flagrant is. You don't have to take just my opinion for it. Refs agreed, commentators agreed outside of RJ, I believe, and basically everyone on the internet outside of this thread.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1u0rf0z/highlights_stephon_castle_shoves_brunson_to_the/
There are scenarios where that gets called a flagrant, just not commonly. They're definitely watching him closer after that though.
zgolfz85 said:Dr. Not Yet Dr. Ag said:
Then it would appear you don't know what a flagrant is. You don't have to take just my opinion for it. Refs agreed, commentators agreed outside of RJ, I believe, and basically everyone on the internet outside of this thread.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1u0rf0z/highlights_stephon_castle_shoves_brunson_to_the/
I've watched the replay a dozen times. He had Brunson as his target over the ball from the jump. Did Brunson embellish and flop? Yeah, he did, but you still can't go directly at a player and not the ball. And, color me shocked that the knicks hating beta males on Reddit disagree. If there's one place I don't go to for sports takes, it's Reddit.
The guy on the right is a NCAA ref and the guy on the left is an ex coach that thinks he knows everything.
In any event the ref explains why the Castle foul was a typical foul and not a flagrant. If you want to skip back a ways, he explains why Wemby should be assessed a retroactive flagrant for the Brunson shove.
I cued it up to the right time: 29m 12s is the timestamp if that didn't work for some reason.
To return to Mavs talk…
Anyone else think it is interesting there is so little chatter on the new HC? Seems surprisingly quiet. Only seeing (non-insider) trade rumors and mock drafts. But would have assumed more news on the coach.
Anyone else think it is interesting there is so little chatter on the new HC? Seems surprisingly quiet. Only seeing (non-insider) trade rumors and mock drafts. But would have assumed more news on the coach.
Legend said:
To return to Mavs talk…
Anyone else think it is interesting there is so little chatter on the new HC? Seems surprisingly quiet. Only seeing (non-insider) trade rumors and mock drafts. But would have assumed more news on the coach.
Thank you. And no, it's been eerily quiet. Outside of the John Scheyer rumor, I haven't seen any legit NBA candidates even floated. I would have assumed a hire would be done before the draft but idk what the hold up is.
I have been a huge fan of Dusty May and hoped he'd end up here before he went to Ann Arbor (although I love Bucky). But, I don't know how that translates to NBA. Duke coach is less appealing. He's lost 2 choke-ish final four games in a row. Not sure about Billy D or any other retreads. But, I'm just surprised there is not more chatter.
_______________________
Larry Legend
Was wondering if they were waiting to see if the new 76ers President was going to fire Nick Nurse to bring in his own guy.
Nurse obviously was Masai's guy in Toronto.
Other former Masai guys:
Adrian Griffin was as well and I think he is just collecting checks from Milwaukee.
Jama Mahlalela was a longtime Raptors assistant and once was HC of the Raptors' GLeague team. He spent time under Kerr as well.
Mark Bryant is a Knicks assistant and was an assistant for the Mavs under Don/Avery. He also played for Nellie in the early Dirk years.
Nurse obviously was Masai's guy in Toronto.
Other former Masai guys:
Adrian Griffin was as well and I think he is just collecting checks from Milwaukee.
Jama Mahlalela was a longtime Raptors assistant and once was HC of the Raptors' GLeague team. He spent time under Kerr as well.
Mark Bryant is a Knicks assistant and was an assistant for the Mavs under Don/Avery. He also played for Nellie in the early Dirk years.
I am not surprised only because of Masai. Once we hired him I thought they would just do stuff a little different than others. I also think we as fans overrate the level of coaches being involved in drafting.
Stein had something last week about several candidates. Micah Nori and Royal Ivey were the big NBA assistants mentioned.
I imagine whichever coach they hire will agree on the type of player they should draft. Would be in line with the term "organizational alignment" that Masai and Schmitz have been using in regard to the coach.
I imagine whichever coach they hire will agree on the type of player they should draft. Would be in line with the term "organizational alignment" that Masai and Schmitz have been using in regard to the coach.
Sounds like there is SOME amount of smoke coming out that Brooklyn could be legitimately interested in Nate Ament. Now, personally, I see no way shape or form that Brooklyn picks Ament at No. 6. That is just way, way to high to pick someone that is a true lottery pick, but I could see Brooklyn trading out of six to see if they can't get him with the a mid-teens pick.
I also firmly believe that Mara is going in the top 10. I have no clue to who, but I just don't think 10+ teams are going to pass up on a legit 7'3" big man who is put together well and has good skills, in this day and age of basketball. The OKC/Spurs series should be enough evidence as to how valuable those type of guys are. Heck if the Mavs didn't have Lively I think I would be more than fine with them taking Mara at 9.
Other than those two guys, I just don't see anyone else going in the top 10.
I also firmly believe that Mara is going in the top 10. I have no clue to who, but I just don't think 10+ teams are going to pass up on a legit 7'3" big man who is put together well and has good skills, in this day and age of basketball. The OKC/Spurs series should be enough evidence as to how valuable those type of guys are. Heck if the Mavs didn't have Lively I think I would be more than fine with them taking Mara at 9.
Other than those two guys, I just don't see anyone else going in the top 10.
Yeah I wonder how much it will take to swap with Brooklyn. They know they can get Ament at 9, so surely it won't cost too much. They probably don't want to fall past 10 with the threat of Milwaukee taking him. Maybe we take on the crappy Mann contract? Moving in to the top 6 to guarantee one of Brown or Wagler would be so sick.
Mara is an interesting player because he's a good passer, but he doesn't have great touch when it comes to shooting. So he's a little Sabonis-y in that you can run your offense through him away from the basket, but he's not a threat to shoot the ball. Better rim protector than Sabonis for sure though. I can see Atlanta liking him because he can play next to Okongwu, who can shoot.
I don't really like Mara as a fit with Coop and Kyrie. We are probably going to be a team that wants to push the pace, so Mara isn't a great fit in that regard. I like the bigs we have in Lively, Gafford, and Cisse who will run the floor and finish with a big dunk, or be close enough to the basket to be ready to rebound a Kyrie or Christie transition 3. Mara is much more of a plodder and bruiser who I think can fit with teams who want to play more methodically. I can also see Mara being played out of a playoff series because he's too slow to guard on the perimeter and he doesn't stretch the floor offensively and possibly because he's such a poor FT shooter.
Mara is an interesting player because he's a good passer, but he doesn't have great touch when it comes to shooting. So he's a little Sabonis-y in that you can run your offense through him away from the basket, but he's not a threat to shoot the ball. Better rim protector than Sabonis for sure though. I can see Atlanta liking him because he can play next to Okongwu, who can shoot.
I don't really like Mara as a fit with Coop and Kyrie. We are probably going to be a team that wants to push the pace, so Mara isn't a great fit in that regard. I like the bigs we have in Lively, Gafford, and Cisse who will run the floor and finish with a big dunk, or be close enough to the basket to be ready to rebound a Kyrie or Christie transition 3. Mara is much more of a plodder and bruiser who I think can fit with teams who want to play more methodically. I can also see Mara being played out of a playoff series because he's too slow to guard on the perimeter and he doesn't stretch the floor offensively and possibly because he's such a poor FT shooter.
I also wonder if BKN takes Ament and SAC takes Acuff, would we swap with Atlanta to ensure we get whoever fell between Brown and Wagler. What would be the price for that? Probably have to take on Kispert and possibly send Gafford or PJ.
Depends a bit on if Atlanta is still wanting to take Mara or not. If they still want Mara at 8, they likely do not care at all about Gafford. PJ could have some value and play big minutes for them, but he's not quite as valuable to Atlanta imo because they already have some pretty long, defensive rebounding guards and forwards.
In general though, I don't think it's going to take a ton to move up and down between 6 and 9. Maybe our backend of the first, first round pick and someone like Klay, or insert contract here type of thing. All of the guards are interchangeable in many ways imo, and your argument would be "well I can just sit here and take XXX and be perfectly happy with him, so I am not playing hard ball on this." Just my opinion of course.
In general though, I don't think it's going to take a ton to move up and down between 6 and 9. Maybe our backend of the first, first round pick and someone like Klay, or insert contract here type of thing. All of the guards are interchangeable in many ways imo, and your argument would be "well I can just sit here and take XXX and be perfectly happy with him, so I am not playing hard ball on this." Just my opinion of course.
Tksymm7 said:
Depends a bit on if Atlanta is still wanting to take Mara or not. If they still want Mara at 8, they likely do not care at all about Gafford. PJ could have some value and play big minutes for them, but he's not quite as valuable to Atlanta imo because they already have some pretty long, defensive rebounding guards and forwards.
Yeah I'm not convinced they're taking Mara. They should be extremely pleased with Flemings or Burries, in my opinion. So if they can get Gafford, then they'd be fine taking a guard. I think they'd want PJ because he's an upgrade over Kuminga and Risacher. They could also pick up Kuminga's option and trade him to us so they don't lose him for nothing.
Quote:
In general though, I don't think it's going to take a ton to move up and down between 6 and 9. Maybe our backend of the first, first round pick and someone like Klay, or insert contract here type of thing. All of the guards are interchangeable in many ways imo, and your argument would be "well I can just sit here and take XXX and be perfectly happy with him, so I am not playing hard ball on this." Just my opinion of course.
I don't think it will take much either. That said, Brooklyn probably doesn't want an older player. Klay is expiring and maybe they could reroute him somewhere else, but he doesn't provide much value for them because they are young and their books are pretty clean.
KYRIE HOOPS ARE BACK OMG 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Tv6DIG1JB8
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) June 10, 2026
Imagine Kyrie in San Antonio
/spursthread
/spursthread
YIKES
Biggest choke I've ever seen in any sport
Wow.
Brutal. I don't see how they come back from that mentally
You don't. On top of that their offense is atrocious for large stretches unless they are making threes.
Hand of God part 2
That was awesome
How the spurs have almost no screen and roll, lob alley oop game with a guy who is 7'5" and athletic as hell is beyond me.
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As much as I respect the Spurs I'd be lying if I didn't say I was kinda enjoying this…
Tksymm7 said:
How the spurs have almost no screen and roll, lob alley oop game with a guy who is 7'5" and athletic as hell is beyond me.
He's an awful screener because he is too thin and his center of gravity is too high.
If he screens a little bowling ball of muscle like Brunson, all Brunson's strength is hitting Wemby in the knees.
Love watching the Spurs have a choke job of epic proportions
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AggieSportsGuy said:
Biggest choke I've ever seen in any sport
Houston blowing a 35 point lead in 25 minutes of NFL game time is still the all time GOAT meltdown
Blowing a 5 TD lead in football is WAY harder than blowing a 20 something point lead in basketball. These days a 20 point lead is blown every month in the NBA.
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Tksymm7 said:
How the spurs have almost no screen and roll, lob alley oop game with a guy who is 7'5" and athletic as hell is beyond me.
Wemby can't set good picks because has a stick with a high center of gravity. Guys either can go around or through him.
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This is the biggest in NBA Finals history and 2nd most in playoff history. No, you don't see 32 point comebacks often in football, but this is a record in the finals. So it's close.
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