Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@Th3solution league pass is a wonderful thing 👌 and I'm a Celtics fan, so the interest is very much there haha. NBA 2K is actually in the UK Digital top ten fairly consistently too, which does surprise me a little bit, but I'd say the league and interest is maybe growing again in the UK since we can stream stuff at any time via league pass. Mainstream wise, I'd still say the general public only knows of MJ, Shaq & Kobe, and then LeBron when it comes to basketball, but I think there's a a good core of fans for the NBA as a whole. I much prefer it to english football, tbh, because football is not the game it once was, and there's just too much nonsense from the game itself, the players, the fans and the betting obsession.

Who do you follow? Or do you just watch the playoffs etc? If you need the inside scoop on the Celtics I feel I could give a good feel for them. Last season they would have absolutely, positively pi$$ed that game away in the second half after the mavs closed it to 8, and their was the odd thought that maybe they'd do it again. But Mazzulla took a time out and they got their heads in the game again.

I can absolutely see why people think it's the same Boston as the last few years, especially as every TNT game pretty much, was like that, but honeslty they have f***ed up games about 90% less this year 😅 and they only took about 2 really dumb threes vs the Mavs, which is progress, so as long as they don't get drawn into forcing it and keep defending, they should pretty much get the gentleman's sweep of the Mavs.

@Ravix I follow a few teams and I like both the Mavs and Celtics, but am pulling more for the Mavs. I think it’s cool how international they are and I was a big Nowitzki fan and now Luka. And Kyrie was a knucklehead in his youth but has completely matured and shown immense growth as a person and is just a perfect gentleman and team player now, and I love a good redemption story. It gives me hope for humanity. 😂

I mostly follow Western Conference teams and so I’m less knowledgeable about the East, but I know about the Celtics underachieving in the past and the monkey on Tatum’s back.

I think Boston should win this and 5 games is a reasonable prediction. Maybe 6. However, reasons to have hope from the Mavs side:

-Similar outcome in Game 1 of the Clippers and Thunder series, getting blown out. They came back to win Game 2 both times and won both series in 6.
-Kyrie was awful. I can’t imagine he’ll play that bad again this whole series, as I mentioned.
-you hit on this: the Celtics have fallen in love with the 3. I think they shot over 40 last night, making around 38%. I think that’s a dangerous way to play. I don’t think you can rely on those dropping every game.
-Porzingis’s health. What would last night have looked like without his 20 pts and 5 blocks at the rim where he turned away a dunk? It would have been enough to at least have made the game competitive. If he can physically make it through the series it will be tough for the Mavs. But he’s got an injury history.
-refs were weird last night. They called touch fouls sometimes and then ignored some bigger hacks. It was even on both sides, but Mavs are more physical and so depending how they call the game it could really mess with the Celtics flow.

Like I said, I think Boston will win the series. But last night isn’t an indication of how close it will be.

Is a new update about to be announced for Astro's Playroom tonight?

https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/11753-astros-playroom#DLC-2

@BearsEatsBeets Well spotted, I'm surprised you didn't tag Sammy so he could knock a quick article together.
Yes it looks like an update, nothing too great (I'm guessing) just a hidden bot in each area....which is very much like the theme in Astro bot rescue mission psvr which in turn looks very similar to the new game.

@Th3solution oh, I think the other games will be closer, just because Kyrie will surely score some points at some point. And things can always go completely wrong too, it's sports afterall, and the pressure to get it done will come in to it, as well. But I think if both teams play to their top level, it's Celtics in 5. Or even a sweep (but that is just going to be very unlikely in a finals) I'm grateful how well Indy played in the last round. It was something special from all of their roster, and the Celtics needed some genuinely tough games, regardless of lineups just to get them in that frame of mind. But they have been passing tests like that all year, in different ways.

Porzingis was unreasonably hot (based on it being his first game in ages, anyway) but the important thing was, they fed him while he was hot, and moved on later when they realised it was more a one half thing offensively. Next game it might be a Derick White and Jayson Tatum game, with Al or Hauser hitting some wide open threes, and then just using Porzingis to protect the rim. This year, more than any of late, they are just getting it done in different ways based on what is needed.

The threes thing looks like that from the outside looking in, I think. But last night they were taking threes after ball movement, and when they play like that I'm never worried, because if they aren't going down they can still keep the ball moving and make the right plays. And they do recognise that a lot better this season.

Joe Mazzulla won't get any credit for it, but when they do what they are supposed to, the formula is sustainable and efficient and the ceiling/room for growth is higher than their current level. He's also an absolute nut job, and the league is slowly learning this. He believes the greatest moment in life is when you are being choked out in an mma fight, as it gives you a problem to solve 😂 and he is so against a team letting up for even a moment and not letting teams get hot, that when the Celtics forgot to challenge one of those nothing shots well after the buzzer, he ran out and contested the shot himself because he had made it a thing this season that players and staff have to uphold the exact same standards at all times, and I think the NBA introduced a new rule because of it to stop that being a thing 😅😅 he will also call a time out to chellenge a call in the last 2 minutes even if his team is leading by 25, just to show that he believes in what the backups are doing and deserve the same decisions to be made for them. And he also had to apologise to the opposing coach for going to hack-a-Drummond in the in season tournament despite being up big because he knew if results went a different way elsewhere then point differential would come into play, and fouling Drummond so he had to hit free throws was the best way to get as big a lead as possible at that moment 😂😂

But who knows, it could go Dallas' way. Luca can make ridiculous shots, and he does scare me just from a talent level haha. Hopefully they just keep playing ISO though, and the others will never get going that way, and we can just defend one on one and outscore the one or two superstars. Any 3 Celtics combined in the top 7 can match their two superstars points output with good solid games, which helps. It puts a lot less pressure on having to have Tatum try to force a 40 point game if it isn't on. And really we are more susceptible to getting into trouble with 'others' playing out of their mind, than we are to opposing superstars being great because there is never a moment where someone won't want to defend Kyrie or Luca, because of who they are. But if someone else is going off, it's kind of a shock to the system and it's not always clear who should be stopping them, I guess.

@Ravix You’re right about Porzingo. He likes to be the center of attention and so he works best when they can just bench him when he cools off. The rest of the team seems more willing to share and be team players. KP likes to take those 30 footers 5 seconds into the shot clock, and they went well for him yesterday but when they don’t they drive coaches crazy. The other players seem to play within the offense. I don’t know Mazzulla and he doesn’t seem like a psychopath when I’ve watched but that does sound pretty crazy. The great ones are all a little mental though. Apparently Jordan was really hard to play with because he demanded so much from his teammates.

Indiana is an up and coming team. If Haliburton plays, it might have gone a little different. Same with D Mitchell and the Cavs. Same with Miami and Butler. The basketball gods have smiled on Boston this year, so it’s possible they have destiny on their side. I wouldn’t say KP is their best player, but winning a series without him was still an added challenge, but not like if they were missing Tatum or Brown, imo. They do seem to be the most complete team though, like you say. Can play 1:1 with anyone, with the main weakness being the 5 position, and so now they Mr. Porz is back, they have that covered, all due respect to the old man Horford. The East is getting better too, so then need to capitalize now. NY Knicks are coming back stonger, Indiana is young, Bucks and 76ers were without there MVPs at the end (Embiid was back for playoffs but clearly not right yet) and so the window may not be open long so they should capitalize now.

@Th3solution ooh, you sound a bit bitter about Porzingis 😁😁 you really do lean more of a Mavs/Doncic way 🤪

He really isn't the centre of attention, and those threes are encouraged as no one can close him out with his size, plus taking them from 27/29ft straight on means the oppositon has to scramble, and that opens up lanes for JB and JT. But he's been a really good fit for the team because we needed to get to the post more efficiently (Rob Williams was not that guy, he always rushed shots under pressure, but was a good lob threat and defender) but the post ups and mid post play has been one of his best traits this season, but we do play well without him too, mostly because Derrick White exists and Jrue Holiday will happily sacrifice points for good play.

You could say it was silly for Dallas to try and make him a corner three spot up shooter while Luka did his ISO thing. Why would you try to squish a guy that size in the corners just so one player can do his thing. Corners are for shooters or those who can make back cuts and crash the boards. Tut tut, Dallas that was a badly utilised player. (Are you buying into trying to spur on a Push Square rivalry to make the series more exciting yet 😉?)

@Ravix Haha, no, no. No rivalry. There’s enough console rivalries. 😂 Just astute observations being made by me. As in when I see silly things Xbox does and make note of it, being a PlayStation guy it may seem bitter but I give them their flowers too when I see something good from them. 😛

Kristaps took plenty of the logo 3’s when he was with Luka too. The two worked together fine, although Luka has to have the ball in his hands and definitely has to be the center of attention. There’s not a more ball dominant player in the league other than maybe D Lillard…? But it could have been fine because Porzy is not a ball handler running the point. The “sticking him into the corner” was mostly just what happened at the end there in their final playoff series together which to me looked like Porz had given up and was completely disengaged on both ends. I think it was amicable between he and Luka but I think the coach didn’t see eye-to-eye with him. Agree that it was a weird missed opportunity for the team to trade him.

Mainly, I’m sad we don’t have Jokic in the finals. He is one of my favorite players and I enjoy his nonchalance with being the best player in the world. 😂 And I like that he has a dad bod and still dominates.

@Ravix I’m moving the conversation over to the sports thread to spare these poor passersby the headache we’re probably giving them. 😅

Good evening. How are you all and Watchu up to?

@Yousef- I was playing guitar earlier, doing some free improvisation stuff in the jazz vein. I have come to the conclusion recently that playing the guitar is a very visceral activity, can't find a better word to describe it - it's really physical, and you connect to what you are doing you on a basic human level, rather than it being an intellectual exercise.

It's like the great chess players talking about playing more by feel than thought, and I think when you get into it and have been doing it for a while, playing the guitar is similar to that, regardless of how good you are, but furthermore, and more specifically, I think that notion aligns more with soloing than playing riffs or melodies.

@Yousef- How about you? And thanks for being so polite and friendly to all of us!

@BlAcK_SwOrDsMaN Ahhh I see. Playing guitar sounds pretty tough. I’m glad it’s bringing

Haha, no problem! I’m glad to be here! I haven’t been doing much personally. Just playing some ps2 stuff.

I've come to the conclusion that traditional jazz is too "rigid" for me to enjoy 100%, need some free jazz or jazz fusion elements to open things up a bit, then it's perfect.

Edit: I refuse to go back to rock!

@Th3solution As someone, who I know is prone to play a plethora of different games and is open-minded when it comes to the games he chooses to play, I was wondering if you had played this and if I could get your take on it or your two cents? Idk if people in the U.S still use that expression anyhoo?

@BlAcK_SwOrDsMaN oh yes, I did play that last year! (And yes, we still “give our two cents” when we share a small personal opinion about something). 😄

Stray was actually a game played together on the Game Club forum, so there’s quite a lot of a discussion there from last year, including my own.

If you’re interested in reading my full comment after finishing the game, it can be found in the Game Club discussion thread here. But here’s an abridged version of those impressions from last year:
“Overall I found it to be a wonderful experience. It’s very polished and well made for a AA level game. There’s some very gorgeous visuals and art design.
The gameplay is decent, and personally I liked the platforming. I did have a number of times when the jump icon prompt wasn’t appearing very intuitively and it created some mild frustration, but nothing too bad. The puzzles are well done and usually strike a good balance of challenge and simplicity.
The story was better than expected. Before playing the game I knew there was some basic futuristic setting, but I really didn’t know much more than that. I really enjoyed the world and the lore involved. I even grew attached to some of the characters, including the protagonist, which is saying quite a lot in a game with no real voice acting and very limited social interactions.”

Feel free to follow the link to the discussion from myself and various other users when we played. It’s mainly contained in comments #171-192.

In retrospect now a year later, I do think back fondly of the game. I’d say it’s better than expected, and a pretty short game that was well worth my time. I played it for “free” on PS+ Extra, so cost didn't affect my review of the game. It looks like it’s $30, which is probably a little steep for a 5-6 hour experience. So it all depends on your financial tolerance. Generally speaking I think of $2 per hour of gameplay is a reasonable low end target (a very subjective measure, I admit), so this is a wee bit on the high side (at $5/hr) there of that arbitrary scale. But the quality of the product is definitely there and as I said in my post-game impressions, it’s surprisingly well polished and beautiful rendered.

If you are a cat-lover, add a couple extra bonus incentive points. 😄

@Th3solution Thanks for that valuable and informative review! I definitely aim to pick it up at some point.

@Th3solution @BlAcK_SwOrDsMaN

Just to chime in, as I loved Stray 😁

It was honestly my game of the year (after Elden Ring) if ER didn't exist Stray would have been it, for me, that year.

It's short overall, but it is well crafted enough a world that you can still get lost in it for a few hours a night. So if you like getting immersed in game worlds it is great for that. Not a game to rush though, more a game to experience and exist within for as long as you can drag it out. Gameplay wise sometimes that amounts to following the trail of a small puzzle, sometimes it is literally curling up on a pillow while listening to music for a while.

And the characters are better written than half the stuff you see these days, despite them never really speaking 😍

It's published by Annapurna too, who have experience with more independent movies, and are actually releasing a fair few games now. There's a few coming up that were shown in the Xbox showcase, and because of Stray and the kind of films and games they back, I think that makes them worth keeping an eye on too.

@BlAcK_SwOrDsMaN I can also vouch for Stray, I really enjoyed my time with it. It definitely feels a bit different to what I normally play, so if you feel like straying from the path I reccomend it.

@JohnnyShoulder Like what you did with the wordplay there!