This is the strangest #nba playoffs I can remember. For the last three rounds, the best looking team from the prior round has looked overmatched in their next series. Feels like Dallas is dancing as fast as they can to be down 10.
@mrcompletely They do look overmatched. (And I’m not saying that because I’m from Boston). I’m sure Dallas will readjust and take one of their home games. They’re too good to be swept.
For those in my TL who followed a discussion in which a Usenet era (c. 1989-91) document introducing modern Hermetic (as distinct from Jewish) Kabbalah in relatively accessible terms was discussed: unfortunately, the source found in that thread turns out to be incomplete. Fortunately, a further search revealed that the author set the text as an illustrated PDF and offered it as a free book in 2001. So here is a direct link to that PDF for Colin Low's Notes On Kabbalah. https://www.magicgatebg.com/Books/INDEXII/Notes%20on%20Kabbalah.pdf
Please do not reply to the above post to dispute any of the following:
spelling of Kabbalah
its relation to the original Hebrew Jewish corpus and practice
its value or validity
basically any other esoteric nerd shit
just fucking don't
seriously
For those who are interested in related topics, I can also recommend the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast aka SHWEP. Well informed academic approach, non sensationalistic.
okay here's my midweek hot-take-free #nba finals content for ya
there's every reason to think this should be a good close series. No outcome would shock me except a sweep either way.
Specifically, both teams have the players to guard the other team's best guys at least reasonably well (with the "no one stops Luka" caveat).
there's a clear expectation among analysts and hoops heads that the BOS strategy will be to focus on stopping Kyrie above all. So watch for that in game 1
@mrcompletely The Dallas team seems to like each other more. You could even see it towards the end of the regular season. Boston seems like a collection of individuals. And that coach is going to die by the math. Boston seems untested. Dallas beat 3 goid teams handily. There is a world where Dallas punks Boston and Boston can't answer.
@noirlover on top of all that, which I agree with - Boston has ZERO identity or personality as a team - this just feels to me on a gut level a bit like the 2011 mavs run where they came in super hot to the finals. It seems like Dallas should win games that are close at the end, so can Boston come into the endgames with big leads? I kinda doubt it
In my live #music collecting hobby there are two kinds of grails to chase: those that might exist but probably don't, and those I know exist but haven't circulated digitally in any of the many online communities I'm part of. It's immensely satisfying when one appears, and that's the case with this specific, superb but short live Meters set from 1975. I had this on cassette circa 1988-91, lost it to a light fingered party guest & have been searching since. 1/2 #funk
This is the OG Meters at their very best: one of the best live #funk bands in history before the dragon bit them. Solid recording, not perfect but clear and strong, and the performance level is absolutely straight fire. The few other shows from this era are either softer performances or worse recordings so even though it's short this immediately returns to its place as best in class. I knew it had to pop up eventually! Thanks to everyone involved including @bourgwick for setting up the tapes bot
Blackgrass: From West Virginia to 125th St from Swamp Dogg
Everyone who had this album on your 2024 bingo card collect your winnings. Mostly #acoustic, #bluegrass ish #roots#music, high energy playful and horny. Featuring Noam Pikelny, Sierra Hull, Jerry Douglas, Vernon Reid and more
Via G Money/Coast Range Lights, another group chat rec FTW
@mrcompletely i don't think it's screened outside festivals yet, but a friend was involved in this swamp dogg documentary & it's wonderful. worth keeping an eye out. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30835291/
I wasn't entirely sold on Kidd as a coach as recently as the start of the playoffs but in addition to holding the respect of his players - including Kyrie - he's done a nice job. I don't have a single critique really. They play smart, they lean into advantages, they get the most out of their role players. Good job by him.
@mrcompletely@brucy I like Horford, Holiday, and White. I went to Syracuse, so rooting for Oshae too. The J’s I’m indifferent to. My Celtics fan friends are cool. Many, many masshole Celtic fans are not. I’m jealous of their historical success, but I’ll get over that to root against Luka, Kyrie, (who are incredible) and Kidd (who beat his wife).
Words can only fail to express my disdain for the lack of effort from the Wolves tonight. It's everything fraudulent we suspected of them all along and hoped they'd moved past with the Denver series win #nba
Y'all at this point anyone who claims they can accurately predict any non trivial thing is selling you something. No one knows shit. We're living in the Disinformation Singularity, every day is a tornado of chaos, and these mfers are out here saying they know how this or that will impact the election, or one of the wars, or Tesla stock prices, or ANY fucking thing at all?
Just do your best, ride the waves, try to paddle the right direction, and don't believe smoothly confident prognosticators
@caravan@mrcompletely I said this earlier this week, but folks forget how trash the East seemed compared to Western Conference teams all year. That was more my reasoning than an in-depth matchup analysis.
@Rosey@caravan seems pretty even overall assuming KP is good to go, so I give the edge in that matchup to the Mavs based on the "best player in the series wins" tie breaker but really the only outcome that would shock me is a sweep either way. No one can stop Luka but at least Boston has a platoon of the right size guys to get in his way plus the best defensive back court to tag team on Kyrie. But Dallas should be able to defend Boston's top guys too. Could really come down to nuances.
The people to listen to are the ones who speak with nuance. Who admit they don't know. Who list possible outcomes and the things that make them more or less likely. People who approach events with humility and an obvious understanding of their own limited knowledge. Find as many of those people as you can and sift what they have to offer. It lacks the comfort of fake certainty but it has the benefit of not being manipulative bullshit