So far everything is pretty much going like I thought. I took the Spurs to win but I said the Mavs had the best chance to win on the road and pull the upset.

The Mavs are just an overall better team. I don't want the Mavs to win it all though, something about that team just seems so undeserving of a championship. Maybe it's because their fans didn't know what the Mavs were until Dirk came to the team. I don't know.

Great game though.

Well, I think the team does deserve it. But after visiting the GameFAQs sports board (yeah, big mistake) and seeing how idiotic some Mavs fans can be, I can see your point there.

We just need to separate a great team from it's troublesome fanbase a bit. ;)

The Mavs really showed me something tonight. They led virtually the entire game on the road, in the toughest building to play in. Not only that, when Ginobili hit that 3-pointer to give the Spurs their first lead of the game and a 3 point lead, they didn't lose their composure or force a tough shot. Nowitzki took it right to the rim for an AND-1. Dallas showed a lot of heart and determination. They deserve to be in the Western Finals.

Much love to the Spurs though for making it a game late and getting it to a Game 7 in the first place. Their accomplishment shouldn't go unacknowledged either.

Well, my team lost. They definitely had a good run though, so I'm not too upset.

I don't think the Mavs will win the Championship, though. Even if they manage to be the Western Conference Champs (though I doubt even that), I don't think they'll be able to get past either of the two teams left in the East. They should definitely be proud of how far they've gotten this year though, so even if they don't win I'll still say congratulations to them (though not to Mark Cuban, as he can go fuck himself).

I agree with that. The Mavs will probably find a way to choke. They usually do.

Dallas can take down the Clippers fairly easily. Phoenix might make them sweat, but Dallas can definitely win that if it comes down to it. I'm thinking it'll come to Dallas and Detroit in the Finals, and I'm not really sure who would win that one (my confidence in the Pistons is shaken after that Cavs series). If it comes to Miami and Dallas, I'd favor Dallas.

I can't really see hating the Mavs too much outside of Mark Cuban (who is a total ass). Nowitzki took lumps for critisizing his teammates after last year, and I could see disliking him for that. The team itself is impressive for its depth, and any one guy can be crazy hot. I just hope they don't play so well that they end up beating my Pistons, but one step at a time...

EDIT: And Phoenix is up 15 right now, so it looks more and more like a Mavs/Suns WCF. That'll be a pretty fun shootout, methinks.

Phoenix wins, 127-107.

Nice impression of Lavos they gave there...
"Destruction rains down from the heavens!" ;)

I don't know if this series will be as nail-biting and heart-attack-causing as Maverics-Spurs, but at least it looks like it'll be fun. :)

I can't see how the Mavs lose this series, but I just can't see the Mavs winning a title.

I think if the Mavs play Detroit in the Finals, then Detroit wins, and if the Mavs play the Heat it could really go either way with a slight edge to the Mavs.

I don't see any way the Suns can take it all.

The gap between how good the Western Conference was and how bad the Eastern Conference was several years back is long gone now. Of the 4 teams remaining, I don't see either of the two West teams remaining being able to beat either of the teams from the East. Basically, I'm saying that whoever comes out of the East will win the championship.

The Clippers just didn't show up defensively last night. The Suns were not only getting great looks from beyond the arc but also getting easy points under at the basket. Steve Nash also played a whole lot better than he did in Game 6. The days off probably helped him out a great deal. The Suns beat the Mavs last year in the playoffs but I think the tides will turn this year. I take the Mavs in yet another 7-game series.

I don't like it when a team that isn't the Kings/ Pacers (fanboyism go Peja/ former team lol) win the playoffs consecutive times. It makes me hate the team more, like I am now with the Lakers, Pistons and Spurs. (yay Mavs win)

Now, the four teams are ghey (as in they're too popular and I hate 'em), but I'm going for the Suns if I had to choose. (Well, I like the Suns anyway)

I dunno about that. It may apply to the top of the leagues, when whoever came out of the West would become clear favorites to stomp on the jokers of the East, but the middle and bottom of the East on average is still much worse than the Western conference (remember, many of the playoff qualifiers this year were below .500 for much of the playoff race). The last couple years, the winners of the Eastern conference were pretty much written off (Detroit, New Jersey, Philly), but Detroit has emerged as at least one of the big dogs.

I've never figured out why there's such a big disparity between the conferences, but it's been the case for a while now. Maybe it's just a reversal of the dominance of the Jordan Bulls. My guess is that the situation will reverse again as the East accumulates star draft picks.

I'm not talking about the middle or bottom-feeders of the conferences. I mean, come on, the Kings were the 8th seed this year for the West. If they had that record and were in the East, they'd be a 5th seed. So yeah, as a whole, the West is still dominant over the East, but I'm talking about the top teams in each conference. Detroit, Miami and New Jersey are better than the Suns, Mavs and Clippers in my view. Why? Because those teams in the East play defense. It's cliche, but it's true, defense wins championships. The Suns and Mavs are all about run and gun... and not very much defense. So, in a 7-game series, I'm definitely taking Miami or Detriot over the Suns or Mavs.

Before the Pistons bitchslapped the Lakers 2 years ago, pretty much everyone felt that whoever came out of the West was gonna win the championship. That has completely changed and that's what I was referring to. But yeah, I get your point.

Okay, so I'm a little late to this thread, since I just finished watching the two Game 7's on tape delay. So, the Western Conference Finals will be the Mavericks-Suns. Should be another exciting series.

Does anyone else find Jason Terry annoying when he talks.


My predictions for the Conference Finals:

Pistons-Heat: Pistons in seven
Mavericks-Suns: Mavericks in six

To be honest, I have never really listened to him. What's so annoying about him?

It's the way he forcefully spits out words, there's so much arrogance and pomp there. I just can't stand his halftime/postgame interviews.

I'll say Pistons in 6 and Mavs in 6.

Then Pistons in 7.

I didn't like Terry much from the interviews I saw yesterday, but a lot of NBA players end up spouting cliches or come off as overly arrogant in interviews. Though, I guess there are the guys who always downplay themselves. I'm struggling to think of a player who gives interesting interviews right now.

Off the top of my head ... Manu Ginobili, Andrei Kirilenko, Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace. Even Tim Duncan can be quite funny when he wants to be.

And none of these guys come off as obnoxious as Jason Terry.

heh, I like how Tim Duncan looks, acts and talks the same way whether it's after a Game 7 win or a Game 7 loss. His demeanor.. like.. never changes. But yeah, he can be funny and engaging when he wants to be.

I enjoy Shaq and Sheed's interviews as well.

Yeah, Duncan's teammates can attest to the fact that Duncan indeed has a sense of humor. He doesn't show it around the media, around whom he shows little emotion. But he supposedly is a funny and intelligent person.

I keep picking the Pistons and they keep playing like crap. I'm not picking them ever again.

Heat in Five, if I'm still allowed to make predictions.

Great game today - Heat vs. Pistons - Wade did great as always. Shooting percentage for the pistons (something like 38%) was horrible.

The Heat totally outplayed the Pistons last night. Maybe the Pistons were still lagging from that Game 7, I dunno. They were down big, came back to take the lead for a little bit, then let it get away from them a second time. Dwayne Wade was very efficient from the field, scoring 25 points on only 11 shots. Even though Shaq didn't have one of his monster games, guys like Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton came up huge off the bench.

This ain't gonna be like last year. Miami is healthy and sizzling right now. I still think this is a 6 or 7 game series though. Even though Detroit played poorly, they still were in the game late and had opportunities to get over the hump. I think they make the necessary adjustments and tie the series in Game 2.

Poor Josh Howard:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUHIfOicCbU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLV3a4CgYLE

Caught the conclusion of the Suns/Mavs game.. (man, I've been out of this thread for way too long).

Holy crap, this is the awesomeness I was expecting out of this series. It's gonna be a fun one, and I like both teams. I don't really care who makes it to the finals, but I have been picking Dallas since the beginning [of time].

Miami, Detroit... this will be up and done I think. I expect some big victories and then the close ones will be mad heated. That Game 1 was some weak sauce though. It really seemed like Detroit just gave up in the end: a 2-possession game with 15 seconds left. Sure one intentional foul wasn't called, but they just stopped. Oh well, no one likes the Pistons anyway.