The 2005-2006 NBA Season Discussion Thread
 

Because basketball is about the only sport I even attempt to watch.

Anyway, you know the drill. Talk about the season in general, your favorite team, early playoff predictions, yada yada yada.

And here is my obligatory Go Spurs Go! chant.

Some random thoughts about the season so far:

- The Pistons are very, very scary

- Steve Nash is having a better season than last year, when he won MVP

- Those Cleveland fans who booed Lebron James last week don't deserve him

- Iggy got robbed in the Dunk Contest

- Josh Smith: You can't put tape there, and jump from somewhere else

- Players that should be in every Dunk Contest: Lebron James, Vince Carter, Desmond Mason, Jason Richardson, Andre Iguodala

- Kobe Bryant. Meet Lamar Odom. He is your talented teammate

- Allen Iverson is the greatest 6-feet-and-under player in league history

- Melo is more clutch than Lebron, at this point in their careers

- The Air Jordans XXI is dope; the TV spot is genius

- Kobe Bryant. Meet Kwame Brown. He is your ... uhh never mind

- Chris Bosh will be an all-star for years to come

- Ernie, Chuck, and Kenny are too funny

- Kevin Garnett is a better player than Tim Duncan

- Coach of the year so far: Flip Saunders

- MVP so far: Chauncey Billups

- Most impressive player this season: Lebron James (near 31-7-7)

- Most dominant player this season: Kobe Bryant

- Most surprising team this season: NO/Oklahoma City Hornets

- Someone please explain to me what the Knicks management has been doing

- What I want to see: The Timberwolves making the Playoffs

I have a thought about the NBA. It sucks. Seriously what happened to competition? It's not who has the best record anymore, it's who doesn't have the worst record. coughknickscough

- Of course. It's pretty stupid boo your best player under any circumstances.

- If only that was actually something new for Kobe.

- If only that were true (which it never will be).

- As much as I don't like him, I would have to agree with that.

I'm mainly just glad that I don't have to worry about my team going to the playoffs. Once they are there is when I'll start to worry (but not much).

I guess the KG vs. Duncan debate is always an interesting one.

With the exception of the 2003-2004 season, Duncan's teams have always been better than Garnett's. This year, Parker has been a beast. The Spurs success this year can be attributed just as much to Parker as it can to Duncan, who's currently averaging a career-low 19.0 points to Parker's 19.4. Then there's always the ever-reliable Ginobili, Horry, Finley, and Bowen.

KG has Ricky Davis ... and Marcus Banks, Rashad McCants, and Mark Blount.

Yeah, both Duncan and Parker have been really good this year, though it seems that Parker has had a slight edge over Duncan recently.

And on a totally unrelated note, have you heard Tony Parker rapping? If you haven't, trust me, you probably don't want to. I won't be looking forward to Tony P.'s (yes, that's his rap name) new album this fall.

Haha, really? He really oughtta stick to basketball.

What would Eva think.

Tony-P... wow. As long as he doesn't start promoting it Artest-style during in-game interviews. David Stern (the beast that he is) will pull the leash on that one.

-Good job, Cleveland.

-True.

-That commercial is currently the most awe-inspiring commercial in my opinion. Perhaps it is the best commercial ever, but that may be biased.

-Agreed.

-The Hornets have been very good. Chris Paul is quickly rising to NBA stardom' nothing is slowing him down. David West is emerging. It's surprising, indeed.

-Isaiah Thomas needs to quickly sign me to a $35 million 5-year deal due to my proneness to the turnover, my 5-foot-1 frame, my unstoppable defense, and my ability to eventually nail a three given several opportunities.

The entire Air Jordans XXI campaign is just so wonderfully crafted. The print ads themselves are beautiful -- with the red laces forming XXI and looking eerily like DNA strands, which fits perfectly with the whole "Second Generation" and "heritage" motifs.

And the TV spot ... it's just amazing. Everything from the music and pacing, to the different ethnicities of the young players, to showcasing both genders, and to faithfully mirroring some of MJ's greatest moves and moments -- it's just brilliantly made.

I spent a good two hours on the Nike Jumpman site last week, just looking at the content and checking out the entire XXI campaign.

I would also like to add

-The Portland Trailblazers are the biggest joke ever ^_^

Oh yeah, it's great. Even sophmore Sebastian Telfair has gotten into the Jailblazer's modus operandi, bringing in a loaded gun into an airport. Of course, it was for protection against former team nutcase, Ruben Patterson. It's sad that they traded away the self-proclaimed Kobe-stopper. They should have acquired Ron Artest to form the most ridiculous "basketball" team ever. There would be no basketball; it would just be war.

It's funny how Rasheed has a ring now. It's clear that the Blazers's problems didn't stem from Rasheed. That entire organization is in a ditch, with a really negative vibe.

At least they don't have a payroll like the Knicks. And oh, I just noticed the other week, that Eddy Curry averages 0.3 assists per game.

I didn't know that was possible.

Curry also averages 2.76 turnovers per game. Which means he is NINE times more likely to cough up the ball than to make an assist.

Trying to choose between Duncan or Garnett is pointless really. They're both incredible players and you could build a team around either of them. It's just that Duncan has had more help over the years than the Big Ticket.

The Pistons, even though they are coming back down to earth a bit, are still the class of the league right now. Flip Saunders is definitely the Coach of the Year and Chauncey Billups has my vote for MVP. WTF was Larry Brown thinking?

The west is going to go down the wire between the Spurs and Mavericks. The Suns, with Stoudemire's return looming, won't be too far behind either. I'm picking San Antonio to be on top when it's all said and done. They have the experience and toughness. Dallas' defense is starting to crumble and that will hurt them down the stretch.

The Air Jordan XXI commerical is simply phenomenal. I just took a tour on the Jumpman23 website and downlaoded it and pretty much all of the desktop wallpapers. Nike is doing an incredible job with the campaign. I'll definitely be picking up some of those kicks.

I've never owned a pair of Air Jordans before. They were always too out of my spending comfort zone.

But the AJ XXI is really lookin' good. I love the red version.

I probably still won't be able to afford a pair. I'll do what I normally do, go to stores and gawk at them.

Just watched the Sixers lose to the Nuggets. The Sixers have dropped three straight close games, and are now under .500 for the first time since mid-February.

Iggy needs to get more touches and be more involved/integrated in the offense. The guy is really, really talented. We all saw what he did in the Rookie Challenge during All-Star weekend.

And Iverson -- this guy is just a pure joy to watch. Sure, he doesn't get up as high as he used to -- I mean, the little guy used to dunk on people -- but he doesn't seem to have lost a step at all. Jerry Colangelo has made a big mistake not inviting AI to tryout for the USA Team.

There's still nobody better at creating his own shot in the league than AI. Iverson in the open court at full sprint is just ill. And I never get tired of watching him break down defenders. He just pitbulls and crosses them to death.

*Sizes up defender*
*Changes pace of dribble*
*Forces defender to retreat*
*Gives defender a little cross*
*Gives slight hesitation*
*Gives defender a hard cross*
*WIDE OPEN*

I can't take Webber and Salmons anymore. I just can't.

I concur, man. At the 2004 Summer Games, AI played his heart out and was a great leader on that team. I know Colangelo is going for a different team this year (not putting a bunch of all-stars together, but instead, making a cohesive team with role players and such) but Iverson deserves to be on the team. He's expressed a huge interest in being apart of the squad again.

Anyone see the Penny Hardaway interview last night on TNT? I feel for him, and I hope he comes back. When I first started following basketball -- during the mid-90's when I was like eleven -- Penny and Shaq were my favourite players. And the Orlando Magic was my team.

I loved Penny's game. His game was so clean and polished. His court vision and understanding of the game were almost Magic (Johnson)-like. Great passer, terrific post-up game, clutch shooter, smart player. He was athletic, unselfish, clean-cut, marketable, and simply fun to watch. There's a reason why Penny was one of the most popular, well-liked players in the mid-90's.

Sadly, all the injuries, rehab, and the ensuing negative press had taken so much away from Penny's game. I'm still a Penny Hardaway fan, though.

And I hope to see him in uniform next season.


... Back to this Colangelo-Iverson thing:

I wonder what Colangelo's thought process was. Was he thinking that Iverson isn't enough of a team player to be on team, and that Iverson is a ball dominator? Well, Kobe's on the team. How would Colangelo explain that.

Was he thinking that Iverson will be 33 when the 2008 Beijing Games begin, and thus too old? Well, Shaq still has an open invitation to join the team, and he'll be 36 in 2008. Explain that, Colangelo.

Was he thinking that he already has enough scorers? Wait a minute -- Gilbert Arenas, but not Allen Iverson? Uh, right.

Was he thinking that he already has enough point guards? Wait a minute -- Chris Paul and Luke Ridnour, but not Allen Iverson? Riiiiight.

Just look at this roster:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ter/index.html

Is Colangelo actually saying there's no room for Allen Iverson on this roster. That he'd rather have Luke Ridnour?

I hope this USA Team implodes when Kobe Bryant, out of a bogus attempt to get his USA teammates involved, tries to pass the ball and hits Lamar Odom at the back of the head.

Penny Hardaway's game was beautiful to watch. But his career, much like Ken Griffey Jr.'s, has been hampered by injuries way too much over the years. Both of them had opportunities to be great, GREAT players. I hope that Hardaway somehow makes a comeback, much like Griffey seems to be doing now.


I agree with all of that except for the Chris Paul part. He's by far the rookie of the year this season and he's the main attraction on the most suprising team of this year, the New Orleans Hornets. He deserves to be on the team. I'll give you Luke Ridnour though. I don't see why he's on the team. It's not like he's done anything in the NBA his entire career to warrant this selection.

Also, I was checking out AI's stats, and I just realized how high his assist numbers have been on the last couple years. In this last last three seasons he's been averaging over 6 APG. Most people consider him just a scorer but, when he has help, he's one of the best ball distrubuters in the game.

Oh definitely, Chris Paul is a terrific young talent. I didn't mean to knock his game. I was just saying, given the choice of Chris Paul or Allen Iverson -- I'd pick AI ten times out of ten :)

Young Chris Paul has got ROY locked up, though. They may as well hand him the trophy now.

Oh, I see. My bad for misunderstanding you. I thought you were saying Paul didn't deserve to be on the roster. But yeah, I get you now. Of course, if I had to choose between having Iverson or Paul on my team, I'd take AI in a heartbeat. I'm sure 99% would be the same way. Is that roster you linked to the permanent roster?

That roster is the list of 23 players invited to tryout for the team.

They will cut that number down to 12 for the Beijing Games in 2008. (But they'll probably have a larger roster for the World Championships later this year.)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...3/10/team.usa/

It's almost certain that the likes of Luke Ridnour will be cut.

But poor AI...

Never mind the fact that Allen Iverson had actually wanted to play for Team USA. Never mind what Allen Iverson brings to any backcourt (unparalled speed and quickness, court vision, veteran leadership, heart and passion, speed and quickness, pitbull defense, pitbull offense, drawing of double-teams, speed and quickness). Never mind the fact that Allen Iverson would invariably boost the TV ratings, popularity, and exposure for this USA squad.

Never mind all that. ...What really upsets a lot of people is that Allen Iverson wasn't even invited to tryout.

Yeah, seriously man, I'm with you on that one. I don't get Colangelo when it comes to this choice, or lack thereof. Shortly before the All-Star break, AI went to him personally and expressed his interest in being included on the team again. It's a damn shame, really.

If I could pick any twelve (U.S.-native) players to play for the 2008 USA squad...

Starters:
C-Tim Duncan
PF-Kevin Garnett
SF-Lebron James
SG-Dwyane Wade
PG-Allen Iverson

Bench:
C- Amare Stoudamire (only if he's healthy; if not, Dwight Howard)
PF- Shawn Marion
SF- Carmelo Anthony
SG- Ray Allen
PG- Chauncey Billups
C- Ben Wallace
F- Tayshaun Prince


It's a nice blend of players.

You've got low-post reliability: Duncan Amare, KG
You've got athleticism: Marion, Lebron, KG, AI
You've got 3-point shooters: Ray, Chauncey, Lebron
You've got scorers: AI, Lebron, Melo, Wade
You've got speed: AI, Lebron, Wade, KG
You've got size: KG, Duncan, Amare
You've got guys who can play more than two positions: KG, Lebron, Melo
You've got power: Amare, Big Ben, Lebron
You've got rebounders: KG, Big Ben, Duncan
You've got shotblockers: Big Ben, Amare, Duncan, KG
You've got shutdown kings: Prince, KG, Big Ben
You've got clutch players: Duncan, Melo, Wade
You've got youth: Lebron, Melo, Wade, Amare
You've got veteran leadership: KG, Duncan, AI, Ray
You've got guys who can excel without the ball: Prince, Big Ben, KG, Marion
You've got unselfish players: EVERYONE


This team would win gold. Easy.


bishop743, if you could put together a team for 2008, who would you roll with?


Edit: Just in case anyone's wondering, the reason I didn't include T-Mac is this:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...n/3715925.html

You can only wonder what his back will be like in 2008.

Damn Timberwolf, that's one hell of team. I'm sure I couldn't pick a better roster than that. I also like how you broke it down to show how the team fit all the different criteria. I've joked a couple times with friends about Team USA just sending the Pistons to win it all in '08, but yeah man, your picks are right-on. Very nice and detalied as well.

Hahaha yeah ... they should save themselves the trouble and just send the Pistons :)

T-Mac is injured, again. 5 weeks. This may 'cause the Rockets to be out of the playoffs unless Yao and everyone else can pull it together without him.

As for the Rockets, I was surprised Bob Sura wasn't playing, but then I found out he underwent surgery.

This has just been a unfortunate season for Rockets fans. I don't know how many years Tracy McGrady has left in him ... his back is just so bad. I wonder how much longer he can hold on.

I remember watching the Rockets-Nuggets game on January 8th, where T-Mac went up for a jumper -- just his standard, regular jumpshot -- and came down normally. But his back just spasmed, and he collapsed to the floor. He was wheeled out on a stretcher and taken to the hospital.

Carmelo Anthony hit the game-winner in that game.

I love T-Mac's game. When he's back is fine, his game is insane. But with the health of his back in question, he may have trouble playing past 30. He'll be 27 in May.

Yeah, I like your list; though you did remove Brad Miller. I'm a fan of the Brad Miller. Jesus Shuttlesworth is on your list, and while he's still hot now, he might be a bit more worn down by 2008. But sure, he'd be great to have, but Michael Redd out of the Ohio State University (I just had to say that) would be just as great a player, I think (which would probably be why they selected him). I don't really like Carmelo (not Kobe for that matter), but I suppose since they want to play, and they're good, let them. I don't think my boy, Gilbert Arenas, aka Mr. Ill-Advised, should be on it.

How is Miami Heat doing this year?

The Heat have been an interesting case this year. For most of the first half of the season they struggled, mainly because of adding so many new pieces to their team during the offseason. However at the tail-end of the first half, and so far into the second half, they are playing great ball. They seem to be forming a nice chemistry and are playing very well together. After the Pistons, I think they are clearly the 2nd best team in the Eastern Conference. Even though they are playing well, it still boggles me that they made so many changes during the offseason, despite being just 5 min or so from going to the Finals last year.

Melo is having a superb year. While he is still a ball dominator, and he needs to get his assists average up, but he's been really clutch this season. I think he's hit like, three or four game-winners this season.


On another note, Allen Iverson's sprined ankle yesterday was unfortunate. No, he didn't come down on awkwardly on his own. No, he didn't land on another player's foot.

He landed on a floor crew employee, after landing out of bounds on a final jumper to end the half.

Some of those guys sitting courtside and baseline, they sit way TOO close and packed. Especially those baseline photographers and floor crew members. Players have no room to stop their momentum, and they have to crash into them.

Allen Iverson had to carried off the floor by his teammtes. There's no reason why AI should ever have to get injured like that. He gets beat up enough on the court. Why is he getting beat up out of bounds too.

haha, I remember back in the day when Dennis Rodman went out of bounds after a ball and landed on a photographer. He hauled off and kicked the guy. Those photographers are indeed too close for comfort. It's tough enough worrying about getting injured on regular in-game stuff without having to worry about getting injured because of a photographer or cameraman. The league should address this issue. There's probably not a whole lot they can do though.

I guess there's not much the league could do about it. After all, those photographers take good photos.

Like this one: Gerald Wallace!

http://www.nba.com/media/gwallace_600_060306.jpg



Hey look, two Lakers trying out for the USA Team.

http://www.nba.com/media/lamarandkobe_400_060306.jpg

Lamar: Maybe he'll pass to me in the Olympics. I am a pretty good player.
Kobe: I'm not passing to anyone in the Olympics. I am da man.
Lamar: Those international teams play the right way.
Kobe: Just wait. 81 points ain't no thang.
Lamar: Maybe Lebron will pass to me.
Kobe: Maybe I can dunk on Lebron.
Lamar: There's a chance, come 2008, I won't make the 12-man roster.
Kobe: Why does he have the same number as me.

Allen Iverson wasn't the only one who suffered. The other A.I. got hurt too... some swelling in the right hand, also due to a cameraman. The 76ers just got abused by the paparazzi.

Gerald Wallace is ridiculously athletic. Too bad he's just gonna get a bloody head again soon.

Gerald Wallce plays that hard-nosed, tough-tough defense. The first I heard of him was when he appeared in SLAM magazine as a high-schooler.

If he keeps working hard, he's gonna be a star in this league. Especially with the sick athleticism and mad hops he's got.

I just finished reading an article about Amare Stoudemire being 50/50 on his possible return this season. He says he's going to wait a few more weeks and will make a decision. In my opinon, if he's still 50/50 at that time, he just needs to shut it down for the rest of the season. The Suns are playing excellent ball right now, and while they'd probably be even better (whch is a scary thought) with him in the lineup, he and the orgranization shouldn't risk him getting injured again or even worse. Just hold out on this season, rest up and get ready to hopefully play in the World Championships for Team USA.

What do you guys think?

I also think Amare should just sit out this season. Like you said, the Suns are playing really well. Trying to integrate Amare into their offensive and defensive sets would disrupt their current chemistry.

Even though Steve Nash would surely find a way to get him settled, there will always be that adjustment period for the whole team. Plus, Amare has GOT to be out of shape. Five-on-five team practice is no simulation for a real NBA game.

Even if he does come back this year, there's no way the organization is gonna play him 40 minutes a night. So he's looking at likely 20 minutes -- maybe even 10-15 to ease him back. That's just a disruption to the team.

Health-wise, Amare should be very careful. There's been a lot of players who had the same surgery, and were never the same again. But Amare is still young. He should make sure he's 100%, and in shape before he attempts to come back.

But if he's already at 100% right now and ready to go -- (which is unlikely) -- the Suns should bring him back right now. This gives him about 20 games to get in shape and into the flow of things before the Playoffs start.


It'd be funny if, in a weird twist of events, the Suns win the championship without Amare. Then what.

Not that they will. Just sayin'.

Nah, in a 7 game series, I don't think they have a very good chance of beating the Spurs. Maybe the Mavericks, but surely not the Spurs. Having Amare would greatly help them against San Antonio though, because he'd be able to bang in there and gets some dunks and easy buckets. He was a beast in the playoffs for them last season.

Yeah, they definitely won't win the West.

But even if for some bizarre reason they did make it out -- which they surely won't -- the Pistons would slaughter them.

But ... is anyone looking at Steve Nash as a likely MVP winner? Just look at the entire Suns squad flop when Nash sits out a game. He's also having a better year than last season, when he did win MVP. I hope the media won't hold it against him and vote for other players simply because Nash already won it last year.

Steve Nash is easily the favorite for the NBA MVP Award. There's nothing wrong with getting it back-to-back. Look at Duncan, Jordan, Magic, Bird,... And the Canadian very well deserves it, even more than last season.

Screw the media.. the NBA names it anyway, and David Stern is the man. The media won't sway him.

Actually, the MVP voting is done by the media. A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the U.S. and Canada submit their votes.

10 points are awarded for each first-place vote
7 points are awarded for each second-place vote
5 points are awarded for each third-place vote
3 points are awarded for each fourth-place vote
1 point is awarded for each fifth-place vote


David Stern has no say in who gets MVP.

Aww boo. Dang.

Then David Stern should allow the media to have their vote, and if it's not who he had in mind, he should suspend the media for a year.

Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant are my front-runners for MVP this year. Nash is playing even better than in his MVP-winning campaign last season, Kobe is a candidate every year because he's the only guy on that team who can give them a chance to win and 'Melo is just plain tearin' it up this season. If I had to place a vote right now, I'd give it to Nash. That team is SO much worse when he's not on the court, not just when he misses a game, but even when the coach takes him out during a game to get him a breather. I think he'll win it too. It'll be yet another attempt at the NBA trying to "change their image" from the hood, hip-hop culture that has saturated their league. But, beyond that, he deserves the damn award.

What do you guys think the chances are for guys like Chauncey Billups and Dirk Nowitzki to win it?

Billups definitely has a chance to win it. The Pistons have been far and away the best team in the league this year, and he's the main reason why. He's a great distributer of the ball and he is as clutch of a shooter as anyone in the Association. However Nowitzki, while he's having a great season, I don't think he has has good of a shot. I mean, he had a pretty good year last season too and I don't remember anybody putting him in last year's MVP conversation. He's an excellent player but I just don't think he stands much of a shot to win it.

But what if Dallas finishes with the number one record in the West? :)

They have an identical record (50-14) with San Antonio right now.

It's gonna be a dogfight between San Antonio and Dallas for that #1 spot. But, I dunno man, I just think a lot of the voters will look at all the help he has and that will deter some of them from giving him 1st place votes. Removing either Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant or Carmelo Anthony would be more detrimental to their respective teams than if Nowitzki was pulled from Dallas, and that's what defines "MVP" for me.

I agree. Take away Dirk, and you would still have a decent Dallas team. Take away Chauncey, and you still have Big Ben, Rasheed, Prince, and RIP.

Take away Nash, and Phoenix collapses.

I think Dirk will get some votes from the media, though (Mark Cuban is probably cooking something up). Duncan will also get a lot of votes (though Tony Parker has arguably been more valuable to the Spurs this season).

Speaking of Melo ... it's unbelievable this kid didn't even make the All-Star team this season. For me, Melo was the biggest All-Star snub this year.

I agree. I can't believe that neither the fans or the league voted him in. He's having a sensational year.

Also, as far as the MVP race is concerned, Elton Brand deserves to be in the discussion as well. He's having a monster year for a suprisingly good Clippers team.

And right on cue, Melo hits yet another game-winner last night in Indiana.

Clutch.

Kid's got ice-water in his veins.


As for Elton Brand, he's always been a 20-10 guy. This season, his scoring is way up at 25.3 per game, and is a career-year for him. But I also attribute the Clippers success this season to the new additions: Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley.

It's easy to see who came out on top in that Cassell-Jaric trade. What was Minnesota thinking.

Yuu don't trade Sam Cassell during a contract year, when everybody knows Sammy will be playing his butt off for that next contract.

It seems like we're the only three ever posting in this thread. Are we the only lovers of this game?

Speaking of all-star snubs, it was also agreed that Chris Paul was one too. He'll get his due though. And honestly, the Detroit Pistons did not deserve 4 players there.

MVP candidates: Dirk sure is making a quiet run towards it. Elton's a beast. Nash is even more MVP quality than he was last year. Kobe's the only player on his team, and he might make the playoffs by himself, which is ridiculous. Billups has a decent chance but apparently he's on an all-star team. Carmelo is being stellar, but no.

Changing topic, so who's out first: Starbury or Brown?

Yeah, it does seem like we're the only three posting here :)

Who's out first -- Steph or Larry.

I'd say Steph.

Marbury is an undeniable talent, but he's a cancer to every team he's been on. He can't make anybody better. As a point guard, how can you not.

When he and Jason Kidd were swapped, Kidd instantly put New Jersey on the map (two consecutive Finals appearances). Steph couldn't much with his Phoenix team, despite having both Marion and Amare to work with.

Then he was traded to New York. And Phoenix got Nash during the summer. And Phoenix tore it up.

And New York ... well, Jerome Williams retired.

Marbury can't adapt his game to the talents and role players around him. He just doesn't get it.

I mean, Kevin Garnett blossomed even more after Marbury forced his way out of Minnesota. In that sense, I'm glad Marbury left because it benefited KG's individual career (though certainly not his championship aspirations).

Marbury is wearing out his welcome in his hometown New York.

Everywhere Cassell goes the team usually improves instantly. Guy's a great PG and is also a clutch shooter down the stretch of games. 2 S's, 2 L's, playah. 2 S's, 2 L's.

Stephon Marbury is out! I don't really like his game that much. He's got skills but I feel he's overrated. I mean, damn, dude must have been hurt when he got shipped from a horrible New Jersey team, only to have Jason Kidd come up in there and take 'em to 2 NBA Finals in a row. To me, "Starbury" is a selfish player who doesn't have as much talent as a lot of people think. Oh yeah, he's outta there. I did like that one time though when he crossed up Yao Ming so bad, he went and fell on his ass. That was classic and a very LOL moment.

I remember that moment. Hilarious!

But yeah, Starb-err needs to go. Sadly, I don't think the Knicks will improve as much as the Nets/Suns did when he left, just because of how awful the Knicks still are. I put Franchise in there with Starbuck as point-guards-I-don't-like-not-only-because-they're-not-point-guards-but-because-they're-idiots. After all their moves this season, it's funny because they still don't have a point guard.

So, apparently, Kevin Garnett was hatched from a basketball. I can only believe it's true.

Man, my brother, Earl You-can-only-hope-to-contain-him Boykins, is hurt. Aww, if Carmelo wants to make a run for MVP, he better step it up even more now. Though I wish uber-underrated PG, Andre Miller, will step it up since he is on 70% of my fantasy teams. Good stuff.

Perhaps Larry Brown isn't all that better.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ant/index.html


If the Knicks have been turd, then...

Larry Brown has always been a coach that landed in a situation where he inherited a team that was good but just couldn't get over the hump as far as playoffs/championships are concerned. Within a year or two, he'd more often than not have them in either the playoffs or contending for a championship. However, here in New York, that just ain't gonna happen. I dont think this is his fault at all, it's Isiah Thomas' fault. Like the article says, the traded for all those huge contracts on a team that already leads the league is overall payroll. If anybody should be kicked fromt his team, it's him. Didn't anyone get the picture when the guy totally ruined the CBA?

Sometimes I wonder just how great of a coach Larry Brown is. I mean, sure, it's easy to win when you have the pieces. And he's definitely a good coach. But great?

As a coach, you also have to be good at managing the egos and personnels you have on the team. You can't always force your coaching philosophy onto your players -- you need to adapt and tailor your coaching style to the type of players that you have.

He really hasn't done that in New York this year.

But ohhhh my, the Knicks beat the Pistons last night. I had to double-check the score because I thought I was seeing things.

I don't really think that it has much to do with him not adapting his style to the players he has. Stephon Marbury is the only guy that has been making waves in the media about not being happy with his role. It's just that the suits up top have not been making good decisions about who they have been bringing in. Taking on the contracts of Aging, overpaid, and mostly overated players isn't exactly a way to bolster your roster or help to get wins. You can't put that on Larry Brown. I think he's a great coach. Like I said, he has been successful at every one of his stops. Very few coaches can say that.

I see your point ... Isiah Thomas has done a horrible job of putting this team together.

And yeah, now that I think about it, Larry Brown has accomplished a lot, and has taken so many teams to the Playoffs.

He always seems to wear out his welcome, though. That's what I've noticed. And the thing he did last year, when he was looking hard at the Cleveland position while in the midst of the Finals -- that was very unprofessional. He always talks about "playing the right way." What he did last year wasn't "coaching the right way." And I lost so much respect for him after that.

[And wasn't he the coach of that 2004 Athens team? He couldn't manage Carmelo Anthony? He had Lebron riding the bench? All that talent on the squad, and all they could do was Bronze...]

Yeah, he does seem to wear out his welcome at some point with every team he's been with. And I also agree with you on the whole Pistons/Cavs deal last season. He had no right to do that and I lost a great deal of respect for him because of it. Yeah, he was the coach of the Athens USA Basketball team. He hardly played Carmelo. But, Carmelo has said that that experience really helped him out, so he took it as a positive. And, as I watch how great he's playing this season, it seems like all that crap he went through has paid huge dividends.

The Conseco Fieldhouse crowd rained boos down on Ron Artest yesterday.

You think, Ron Ron?


And this one has been in the news for a while. But still -- WHAT THE HELL.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_3561131

Yeah, I saw that. I read the article last month on ESPN Insider, and on fanball while reading fantasy sports news. That's awesome.

Maybe she's testing AK47.


Some random observations/musings in my head...

- Kobe Bryant had 11 assists yesterday. Whoa.

- The Timberwolves are so disappointing. Seven straight losses. Second worst record in the West.

- Pistons have lost four out of their last 10 games.

- The newest fashion trend in the NBA is tights. Some players shouldn't wear them.

- The Hornets are suddenly struggling, now in 9th place

- The Kings are suddenly hot, now sitting at 7th place. They may actually make the Playoffs.

- Steve Nash for MVP. Or something like that.

- Kevin Garnett is the loneliest player in the NBA.

- I want a pair of AJ XXII.

- Dwight Howard had a sick alley-oop dunk last night.

- Five seconds in the game, down one point. Give me Melo instead of Kobe.

- Gerald Wallace, if he keeps this up, will become only the third player in NBA history to average more than 2 blocks and 2 steals in a season (Hakeem, David Robinson).

- Gerald Wallace is 6'7".

Yep, 11 dimes... and they lost.

2 years removed from making it to the Western Conference Finals, it's a damn shame to see the T-Wolves in this state. I really think they should try shopping KG around this summer. He's done ALL that he can possibly do for that team. I believe it's time for him to move on.

Yeah, and 3 of those losses are against the Knicks, Wizards and Lakers.

Ron Artest has played immediate dividends for the Kings. I think that they will make the postseason.

You and me both. I probably will get a pair though. Might buy 2 and sell one for a profit.

I concur, brotha. I concur.

Gerald Wallace is having a stellar season. He's definitely a star on the rise.

Surprise surprise...Rockets lose again. It is the Spurs, but still, I think they've lost their last three or so straight. They play the Clippers Monday, maybe they can rebound from their losing streak.

heh, the Rockets are an even bigger disappointment than the T-Wolves this year. They have two bonified superstars in T-Mac and Yao Ming and a pretty good supporting cast, yet they are nowhere near the playoff picture at this point. It just doesn't make sense. There's no reason why they shouldn't be one of the elite teams in the Western Conference, yet they are one of the worst right now.

It's just that T-Mac and Yao have been out so much. T-Mac's back problems, especially, have led to so many Rockets losses.

And it's not just Yao and T-Mac, but many other key players squad have been hit with injuries ... Stro, Skip, Sura.



I don't think KG will move on simply because he think he has a better chance at a championship elsewhere.

KG is fiercely loyal. All that he's ever asked management is to do their best to improve the team, bring in the right players, and make the Timberwolves competitive. The last two seasons, management screwed up. Let's face it, Marko Jaric has only made the team worse.

The only way I see KG asking for a trade is if he sees the management slacking off and not doing anything to make the Timberwolves competitive. If he feels betrayed, he might want to be traded.

But if left on his own, KG will never leave Minnesota. He's too loyal and strong-willed.


Are you going to get the red? I love the red.


----

Anyone else watching the Kobe-Cavaliers game on ABC right now?

Even when they have everyone at full strength, they still haven't been playing on a very high level. I wish I could find some stats on their record when T-Mac and Yao are in the lineup. I wouldn't think it'd be too impressive.

Yeah, he's hella loyal, but you'd be suprised what continued losing will do to you. Sometimes you just have to say enough is enough. If this keeps up I do think he will asked to be traded... or the orgranization will take it upon themselves to deal him. The orgranization DOES need to step up though. KG is damn sure doing his share... and then some!

Yeah, those red ones are the hotness. Those are the ones I'll be getting.

haha @ "Kobe-Cavaliers". Yeah, I'm flipping between that and the NCAA's.

Niiiice.

I had a friend who would purchase every new pair of Air Jordans as it comes out. But he wouldn't wear that pair. He would ball in the pair released the year before. Then when a new AJ comes out the following year, he would again ball in the pair released the previous year.



It's halftime in Cleveland. Lebron has 18 points. Kobe has 24 points on 10-15 shooting. He also has 5 assists. That last shot from the corner at the halftime buzzer, with Lebron draped all over him, was like whoa.

It's pretty clear that Kobe wants to school Lebron. Just look at him when he's guarding Lebron. It's like he wants to bite his head off.

Haha, nice. Cavs won. It's always fun to watch the Lakers lose, especially when it comes down to Kobe missing a final shot. It's great.

Dang, I want Air Jordans, but I'd probably never use them. If I had the money, I'd just go for the collection, like the complete signed collection sold on eBay recently: http://cgi.ebay.com/Michael-Jordan-S...QQcmdZViewItem

I was in awe the first time I saw that. I remain envious.

With only three seconds left in the game, I don't understand why Kobe would catch the ball near midcourt with three defenders running at him.

I mean, what is that.


Oh geez, that is a whole lot of money.

Damn. That's a pretty sweet collection, especially since they're all signed and everything - and they include every single one of the Air Jordan series.

Plus the purpose of the auction was the benefit a non-profit organization. Pretty sweet, too bad I would never have that amount of money to spend on shoes. *Shrugs*

A pretty good article written about the Steph-Larry feud:

http://www.allsports.com/cgi-bin/sho...story_id=58464.


Here's the cut & paste:

Stephon Marbury definitely NOT Allen Iverson. No where near AI's caliber.

And even worse than Brown, Marbury also wears out his welcome in every place he's been. He's not a winner. He's not a team-player. He complains all the time and takes cheap jabs at people.

Remember how when he was in Phoenix, he compared Amare Stoudemire to Kevin Garnett as Michael Jordan to Mario Elie.

I had a good laugh about that one.

And remember how he said he believed he was the best point guard in the NBA.

I laughed even more.

Marbury isn't even among the top 5 point guards in the league, let alone on the same level as Allen Iverson. Timberwolf, you talked about how a coach should be able to adapt his style to the team he's coaching, well I think a "star" player such as Marbury should be able to do the same. The mark of a great player is whether or not he can make his teammates better and Marbury has really never done that at any of his stops. And, right now, he seems to only be concerned with himself and only about how he's being used. That's just selfish and disrepectful to the rest of the team. If he were as good of player as he says and thinks he is, he'd be able to tailor his game to his surroundings. He can't... so he isn't.

You're right, Marbury isn't a great point guard at all. A star should definitely be able to tailor his game to the team concept, and Marbury's got it all mixed-up. He doesn't make anyone around him better.

Let's say New York decides they've had enough and want to part ways with Marbury...

Who would want him.

lol, dude, T.O. just got a brand-spanking new deal with the Dallas Cowboys after all that crap he pulled last year in Philly. SOMEBODY is going to pick Marbury up. I have no idea who though. Maybe Boston would be stupid enough to trade Pierce for him? They traded Antoine Walker when they shouldn't have... got him back.... then traded him again!! Morons.

Yeah ... Marbury will always find another team who wants him. There's too much talent there. But he's really a cancer, though. I think that any young, rebuilding team would hesitate to him because of his negative influence. Even Playoff contenders may look at him crooked because he may very well end up disrupting their chemistry.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if Marbury ends up back in Minnesota. It's like coming full circle. It's like, "I was so stupid, please take me back." But as a Timberwolves fan, I don't want Marbury back.

I like how before he was traded from Minnesota, Marbuary was always "New York this, New York that, Coney Island this, Coney Island that" and "Minnesota's too cold."

But he was really thinking, "How come KG gets more money than me."

Then he got traded to New Jersey, he was like, "It's still not New York, but close enough" and "What is Keith Van Horn."

Then it's on to Phoenix, and it's all "Amare is MJ, KG is Mario Elie."

Finally, he gets shipped to New York, and it's like "Yes! I'm finally going home and playing in front of the Garden -- it's a dream come true" and "I'm the best point guard in the NBA."

Now he gets booed at home.

Maybe the guy just hasn't found the right spot for himself. He might not be right for Larry Brown's system, but the way he's going about it is totally wrong. It's just like when Vince Carter threatened to not play hard while he was with the Raptors in hopes that he'd be traded. Well, he finally got his wish and he's playing great ball now in Jersey (the way he went about it was wrong as well). Stephon Marbury has the potential to be a superstar-type player, he just doesn't have the drive, determination or class to make it happen.

On another note, the Los Angeles Kobes lost to 'Bron 'Bron and the Cavs yesterday. I love when Bryant gets his points and they still lose. It's just classic! haha, Eric Snow is probably even a better PG than Marbury right now.

Eric Snow is a much better PG than Starbury on the lone fact that Marbury isn't a point guard. It's all about the Eric Snow Show.

Okay, I am in T-Dot. And obviously, the mere mention of Vince Carter makes me mad :p

He didn't just threaten to stop playing hard. He actually just stopped playing.

Half-man Half-season. Half-man Half-effort.

-----

I just purchased tickets to go see the Timberwolves play the Raptors. I'm really excited.

The last time I went to see the Timberwolves was back in the 2000-2001 season, so it's been a while.

I figure there's a chance this could be the last time I see Kevin Garnett in that Timberwolves jersey. And KG's my boy, so I can't miss this.

Do you not like him because of what he did to get traded or did you not like him front the start?

Oh, I loved Vince Carter from 1998-1999 to 2003-2004. Even though he got hurt a lot later on, I still loved what he did for the franchise. City of Vinsanity, as it was.

And a healthy Vince Carter was a spectacular show. He was athletic, explosive, clutch, personable, and did stuff for the community and charities.

But his final few months as a Raptor ... I can't believe he did that. And to go to New Jersey, and suddenly play his heart out ... that really hurt the people in T-Dot.

Big game tonight between the Heat and Pistons. It doesn't look like Shaq is going to play so the Pistons should have the edge. The Pistons have owned Miami in Detroit as of late, having won 6 of the last 7 meetings. But D-Wade has been playing hella good ball the past several months or so. Should be a good one to watch.

Shaq ended up playing, but the Pistons won anyway. Detroit is still the team to beat in the East.


Amare's return is near:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html

Take it easy, young fella.

Man, the Heat can't win for losing. Shaq plays, then Alonzo gets hurts. If it's a torn calf muscle like it's being reported to be, he could be out for awhile. But yeah, the Pistons proove yet again why they are the class of the East.

Amare says that he's 80% sure he'll play tonight. I, personally, feel that they should just go ahead and shut him down for the rest of the season. The guy has a potential to be one of the best players in the league for a long time, you don't want to risk gettig him injured again. But, if he says he's ready, maybe he's ready.

Also, LeBron hit the first game-winning shot of his career against the Bobcats last night. So, congrats to him, I guess.

Good for Lebron. Here's to many more clutch baskets.

----


The man who used to make it Reign...
The man who used to soar so high he needed stitches after hitting his head on the rim...
The man who used to dunk so hard like whut...

The man who then stood at the buffet line too many times...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200....ap/index.html


...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...C-Windmill.jpg

Shawn Kemp used to be one of the most dazzling dunkers in the game. He and Gary Payton made a very formidable tandem. But, after that great run, he really let himself go. He was a totally different person. Good for him that he's trying to make a comeback. He might be a nice role player for some team.

Yeah, he came back from that '98'99 Lockout Season completely out of shape. He ballooned to 325lb. Amazingly, because his legs were so strong, he could still dunk. But he couldn't fly like he used to.

And the Reignman used to FLY. Those aerial assaults to the rim were insane. People used to get knocked down.

Lister Blister, anyone.

Shawn Kemp is one of the greatest in-traffic dunkers of all time. He would dunk on people. Over people. Around people. And through people.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...kElevation.jpg

Holy shit, man! Look at his hand. It's almost at the top of the damn backboard. I swear, the throwback Kemp took the word "hops" to a whole new level. Human Hightight Film v2.0, for real.

I'm gonna upload some Reignman highlight videos to you later. The guy was just a damn beast. I found that photo a long time ago, and I stared at it for the longest time in disbelief.



On a slightly different, but no less spectacular, note:

OH MAH GOODNESS.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwc6hYoq3...llen%20iverson

With that and the possiblity of Amare's return tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing Amare's one move: charge through anything to the rim and dunk. I guess it's okay for him to come back to get back in game shape as the playoffs near. I'm curious about the effects on fantasy leagues as his returns suddenly puts a should've-been first round pick on someone's roster.

I guess that's why Phoenix is okay with him coming back right now, so that he can get himself in shape to do damage in the Playoffs.

Amare is a great, strong player. His dunks are powerful, but he has no hangtime. He plows through people on the floor before he elevates.

Shawn Kemp plowed through people in midair...

Holy crap, the Suns rocked the living shit out of the Jailblazers [in offense, anyway]. I don't think Portland had an clue what they were getting into. Yeah, Amare's a monster again. 76 points in the first half. Wow.

Very nice first game back for Amare. 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks in just 19 minutes of play.


The Dallas-Golden State game was something. J-Rich's shot was awesome.

As Stuart Scott would say: "I ain't gonna say nothing, but that ain't right." That crossoever was just plain sick.

Big ups to Amare for coming in and making an impact right off the bat. ... What injury!!?

Yeah, that Warriors-Mavericks game was tight. Jason Richardson's shot was hot, so was Derek Fisher's, even though they didn't count it.

Ohhh yeah. I mean, AI made Daniels fall TWICE on that sequence. And Antonio Daniels is no pushover.

:: sizes him up ::

:: crosses ::

:: Daniels falls ::

:: hesitation -- crosses again ::

:: Daniels falls some more ::

:: layup ::



Okay, here's that Shawn Kemp mix I promised:

http://s48.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3...8134E40HRXP8IA

SONIC BOOM.

That Shawn Kemp mix was the hotness. It really sucks to see what he became after that.

Looking at the Western Conference right now, it's gonna be a dogfight for those 7 and 8 spots. The Lakers and Kings have them at the moment, respectfully, but New Oreleans and Utah are right on their necks. Gonna be interesting to see who gets in and who gets left out.

Shawn Kemp is beast.

As for the West, I would prefer the Lakers not be in the playoffs. I'm all for the Hornets and the Jazz (and the Kings) so I'd like any of them to go.

I'm watching the Nuggets-Suns game right now. It's a tight one so far.


As for the Lakers, they don't have that great of a shot making the Playoffs, considering their remaining schedule: They still have to play Phoenix twice; New Orleans/Oklahoma City twice; San Antonio once; Denver once; and LA Clippers once.

And this is why Andrei Kirilenko is one of my favorite basketball players. There's nothing to hate about this guy (unless you have him on your fantasy team this season while he's hitting an atrocious sub-70% of his free throws). Other than that: a triple double with 15 points, 14 boards, and 10 blocks. What a monster.

What happened to Amare tonight? Looks like some weak sauce after looking at that box score.

Andrei Kirilenko is the most star-studded role player in the game. What I mean is he's truly a star in this league (and should have been an all-star) but he also does the little things that role players normally do. He's the best player on the team, yet he's diving for lose balls and blocking almost any shot that gets near the rim. I respect him as much as any superstar in the NBA.

Amare looked pretty slow. He had no spring in legs, and he ran very sluggishly and cautiously. The Suns run a lot -- he had better get his cardio up.



Wow, AK47 had a triple-double with blocks? I'm looking at the boxscore now ... very impressive. That's a career high 10 blocks.


Who will be watching the ABC game tomorrow. Allen Iverson and the Sixers are fighting to hold on to that Playoff spot, with a good shot at moving up still.

Yeah, I'll be tuning in. And speaking of that game, as well as people returning, Jermaine O'Neal just recently came back into Indian's lineup. From what I've seen so far, he seems to be playing pretty well after that groin injury. Philly is fighting for their playoff lives right now, and it's not like Indiana is a lock to make the playoffs at this exact moment and time, so it's a pretty important game for both teams. Should be a good matchup.

Iggy's alley-oop dunk (off AI's lob) was off the chain.

WOW.

I must have missed that dunk. I'll try to catch it on Sportscenter. Overall, it was a pretty good game. Indiana got a pretty big win for themselves.

I saw that dunk. I was just fortunate enough to catch it when it was going on. I sat blankly for a minute (or fifty). "Holy fucking crap."

Saw the dunk this morning on Sportscenter just before I left for work. All I can sa is "OH MAH GOOOOODNESS!"

I like how the three of us hve 92% of the replies in this thread.

More observations and thoughts:

- Charlie Villanueva had 48 points last night against the Bucks. That's an NBA high for a rookie this season. Not too shabby.

- I hope Chris Bosh's injury is minor, and that he's alright.

- Minnesota nearly blew another 20-point lead last night. The Timberwolves just can't seem to put anyone away, and are very prone to blowing leads this year. But to let the Knicks do that, is inexcusable.

- Steve Nash needs to raise his scoring by 0.2 to become the first player since Tim Hardaway in 1992-1993 to average more than 20 points and 10 assists in a season.

- Which Wallace is the best shotblocker -- Ben, Rasheed, or Gerald. The answer isn't that obvious.

- Bruce Bowen is dirty; here are his latest antics: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/bas...950_recap.html

- Kwame Brown is averaging 14.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and shooting 72.5% in his last five games.

- Does Kobe Bryant know.

- Lebron James finally has a gamewinner under his belt. Melo has like fifty thousand.

- I am certain that Michael Olowokandi doesn't exist anymore.

- Tim Duncan is having the worst year of his career (individually-wise). The media doesn't notice because there's some guy named Tony Parker keeping the Spurs in the elite echelon.

- Iguodala dunks good.

haha, seems like we're the only ones who enjoy the pro ball game. That's fine by me heh.


Yes, a very good performance by him last night. Right now, it's Paul, Villanueva, Bosh..... and everybody else. The 4 Tarheels aren't doing much of anything this season.


Minnesota is just playing atrcious ball this year. Garnett is the only thing keeping them afloat right now... IF you can even call the position their in "afloat". Boston is probably the only team worse at keeping leads at this point and time than the T-Wolves.


He shouldn't have a problem at all getting that done. That'll be yet another notch on his belt for his MVP cause this season.


Normally I'd take Big Ben in a heartbeat among those 3. However, yesterday against the Nets, Ben Wallace was not himself at all. He wasn't that dominant force in the paint like we've come to know. I hope he's alright or the Pistons will be in trouble come June.


Several players over the years have complained about Bowen's "style" of defense. Notably guys like Vince Carter and Ray Allen. At first I thought they were just punks 'cause they were getting shut down by him, but after this, it seems now that they had a point.


- Excellent for Kwame. He never deserved to be the #1 pick that year (wtf was Jordan thinking?) However, in the right system, he can be a solid player. He's finally starting to prove that now.

- Oh yeah, he knows. But does he care? HELL NAH!!


The race between Carmelo and LeBron isn't even close right now. While James is playing great ball, 'Melo is has lost his damn mind. Seems like the kid is droppin' daggers on a nightly basis these days.


.... Who?!?


Tony Parker is the MVP of that team this season. With all that talent around him, Duncan doesn't need to be the deciding factor game after game. But, without him, they don't have a snowball's chance in hell to repeat.


He sure as hell does.

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...BowenDirty.gif

That's not basketball.

O_O Is he coming in for the flying side kick?!

It is Street Fighter II.

But he forgot to ground-sweep upon landing for a two-hit combo.

Man, the Nets are playin' great ball in the 2nd half of the season. They've won 9 straight games, the last two coming against the Pistons and Suns respectively. They beat the Pistsons in Detroit and then go and dismantle Phoenix. Jason Kidd played great D on both Billups and Nash, pretty much shutting them both down. They're clearly taken the title as the 3rd best team in the East, after the Pistons and Heat.

Speaking of the Suns, Amare Stoudemire is looking quite pitiful right now. I think the performance in his season debut might have been a fluke, him just playing on adrenaline and momentum. I know he needs to work his way back into the lineup, but this is ridiculous.

EDIT:

P.S. Bruce Bowen's scorecard:

elevation = 9.6
landing = 1.4
defensive skills = nonexistant

I jumped into the Suns-Nets game in the third quarter. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing. The score almost didn't make sense.

Steve Nash was scoreless on 0-5 shooting. Amare was scoreless on 0-6 shooting.

I personally don't like the Nets, but yeah, they are playing great basketball right now.

----------

Game of the night: Dallas at Detroit. Right now it's 24-23 Dallas, end of the first quarter.

heh, I wonder why... lol :P


A game of two powerhouses. I'm tuning in as well. Very good game so far.

Haha, Vince does have something to do with that.

But I never liked Jason Kidd either. I lost all respect for him after the incident back in 2001 when he hit Joumana.

And then there's Richard Jefferson. I simply can't stand his face, and that expression he makes when he's playing basketball. It creeps me out.

Yeah, that was messed all up. You shouldn't be puttin' your hands on females.... especially a fine one like that.


His face?! WTF, T-Wolf? lol... I don't really pay much attention to his face but I don't pay much attention to his game either. He was injured most of last season and I figured the team would be mediocre this year, so I haven't been keeping up. But man, his face, haha...

I mean, this could scare small children.

http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/...rson_81036.jpg

Holy hell, man, that IS pretty damn scary. You need to warn people before you put something up like that next time! :aargh: I stand corrected though. ::shivers:: I wonder what the photographer who took that photo did with the negatives. O_o

And that is literally his face whenever he gets bumped or fouled.

I will use spoiler tags next time for something like that.

lol, nah man, I was just messing around with the "warn people..." part. But yeah, that is a pretty fucked up facial expression.

Pistons up 52-50 at the half. Hopefully, they'll be able to hold Dallas off and bounce back from that loss to the Nets.

So, I've been hearing some whispers of MVP for Nowitzki lately.

I think he'll get some votes.


Edit: Looks like that's it for Amare: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...are/index.html

I think this the best move either the Suns or Amare could make. It's not like he's some over-the-hill player that's past his prime. He's a young, superstar in the making, with his whole career ahead of him. You don't want to risk further injury or damage to that knee. Shut him down, let him get back to full strength for next season and then go from there. Again, I think this is a smart decision for both parties.

Yeah, the Suns have been winning without him; they might as well continue to win without him. It was fun to let him try to play, even if many of us knew this could/would happen. Now that that's been done and failed, let's get back to winning.

O_O

What the hell was that!? Was that real? 'Cause I think that's a technical...lol.


Anyways. Rockets are 30-40. Something like 3-29 without McGrady. I think they're 5 and 1/2 behind Sacremento.

yo T-Wolf, sup with your boy: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2387812

Looks like the constant losing and disappointments are finally starting to get to him. Like I said earlier in this thread, KG is loyal as hell... but he wants to win too.

Yeah, that's real. Bowen's dirty like that.



KG is sick of losing. He wants to win, but he still wants to win in Minnesota if possible. He will only demand a trade if he feels that management isn't trying to get him the necessary pieces to compete for a championship.

The media has long been trying to get words out of KG, so they can write their stories.

One article I came across the other day interpreted KG's

as him saying he deserves to be traded to a team that has a chance to win a ring.

I don't think that's what KG's saying.

Maybe, maybe not. I hope he does stay in Minnesota. It'd be great if he could finish his career there. But, at this rate, it's very hard to say whether that will come to fruition. KG, as well as AI, deserve to be on a contender. They've given their blood, sweat, tears and bodies to their respective teams. It might be time for a fresh start for each of them.

In other news, LeBron James added two more milestones to his resume last night in a dominating win over the Mavericks. He eclipsed Kobe Bryant to become the youngest player to reach 6,000 points. Also, with that win, the Cavs have clinched a playoff berth. Depending on how the seedings shake out, they might even get out of the first round. But, I don't see them going beyond that.

KG does deserve a lot better than the team McHale has put out there. You feel bad for KG because brings it every year, and gives it his all. His stats are still brilliant, and he still leads the league in efficiency rating.

His field goal percentage is the highest it's ever been, and he will once again win the rebounding crown. His assists are down because the Timberwolves now lack spot up shooters (Wally, Hudson, Hoiberg, Cassell, Sprewell). When Garnett kicks the ball out during double-teams, players like Ricky Davis and Marcus Banks end up slashing or dribbling some more, and thus nullifying the assist.

And so, KG's streak of 20-10-5 will end this year. But still, averaging 20-10-5 for six straight years is amazing. No one in the history of the league has ever done that. Larry Bird was the closest at five straight. KG is in a league of his own.

Cavaliers clinched a Playoff berth! I didn't realize it until I saw your post. That's great. It'll be fun to finally see Lebron James in the Playoffs, when it counts. I'd love to see how he handles the pressure and the stakes.



----

And I'm watching the Spurs-Lakers game right now. What will Bowen pull this time.

KG's game is straight out of NBA Live. The guy can do things that players his size should not be able to do. He's the best all-around player in the game. There really isn't a single weak spot in his game. But, when it comes down to it, individual stats don't mean a whole lot in a team concept. It's about winning championships for him. He wants to win and be successful on a team level more than anything else. He made that clear during his MVP-wnning season a couple years back.

Now that he has gotten his team into the playoffs, he is officially a franchise player now. He still has a long way to go to catch up to 'Melo though. 'Melo has been to the playoffs for 2 straight years in what was once a loaded Western Conference. It'll be good to see what LeBron can do when it's "Win or Go Home".

Definitely, individual stats don't mean a thing to KG. He just wants to win.

But for fans like us, it's still great to be able to look at his numbers and appreciate the brilliance of his individual career. His play has been consistently brilliant, and brilliantly consistent. Eleven years of this, and he's not slowing down.


Melo had the benefit of being on better teams than Lebron in the two Nugget's Playoff appearances. Lebron's team is finally playing a lot better. And to think they're doing this without Larry Hughes.

The Cavaliers were SO close to making the Playoffs in each of the last two seasons. They were like one game out of a Playoff berth. Last year was especially disappointing because after a solid start, they collapsed the second half of the season. I'm glad that they made it this year.

Freaking Lakers. They're got victory on the Sonics. They need to start losing so that the Jazz and/or the Hornets can get in. Fucking Kobe.

Good to see the Cavs aka LeBron finally in the playoffs. Now we can see what he can do... maybe. Or perhaps it'll take another 2 years for him to start doing well in the playoffs.

Michael Redd out of THE Ohio State University has been on a tear lately. The Bucks are beasting out lately.

The Lakers will likely finish .500, as I'm looking at their schedule. Three of their next four games are against quality opponents (Denver, Phoenix, LA Clips).

Then after two pushover opponents (Golden State, Portland), they finish the season with Phoenix and New Orleans/Oklahoma City.

It'll be a fight to the finish for those teams clustered around 7th to 10th place.


----

What's up with New Jersey. Eleven straight wins.

What's up with Dallas. Three straight losses. They basically just played themselves out of battling the Spurs for that top seed.

Okay, this is ridiculous:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2390599


(And no, this is not an April Fools thing. At least, I doubt it.)

haha, this is funny as hell. What the fuck are they doing? I mean, some guys like Andrew Bogut and Samuel Dalembert have no business wearing them, but to bad them altogether is stupid. I know the leagaue is trying to change their image and what not but this is ridiculous. I hope it doesn't come to pass.

On another note, the Pistons came up HUGE today against the Suns. They were down by 17 at one point and came back to win the game. Chauncey Billups showed yet again why he's known as "Mr. Big Shot".

Big win for the Pistons. Chauncey was terrific. Will those MVP whispers start up again.

I'm still buggin' out over Lebron James' 47 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals performance in that win over the Heat. He took only 25 shots, compared to Wade's 36, which was Wade's career-high in shot attempts.

Lebron James is just incredible. He's so strong and so athletic. When he dunks, his head is rim-level. That kind of elevation is sick. It almost looks like he is floating, as he is often still rising when he stuffs the ball through.


-----

Okay, this is funny.

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...ndremiller.gif

One. Two. Three. The Fourth one got him.

LeBron James is amazing me with what he's doing at such a young age. Just thinking about how better he'll be down the road scares me. He isn't even anywhere near this prime yet.

LOL! I got 4 words for you: HIL-A-RI-OUS!! Oh man, that is classic.

-----------------


wtf @ the Nets! They totally dismantled the Heat yesterday for their 12th straight win. I was thinking that the Eastern Conference was just a 2-team race, but it looks like I was wrong.

Lastly, both Charles Barkley and Dominique Wilkins will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I'm really glad to hear this. Both were exceptional players during their time. Yeah, neither of them won any championships, but they each brought and contributed a great deal to the game. Congrats to both of them.

Dude, LMAO.



Anyways, some news:

So yeah, congrats to them...when is Jordan eligible for the HOF?

I like how Korver could barely get up.

Every year, the Nets seem to always have that one great run of consecutive wins. Then they cool off. They won't get past the second round of the Playoffs.


'Nique!! Finally. I still can't believe he was left off that 50 Greatest Players of All-Time list.





A player needs to be retired for a full five years before being eligible for the HoF. Then in that sixth year of retirement, he can be inducted.

So for Mike, the earliest is 2009.

lol yeah. Iverson nearly jumped out of the damn building.

Yeah, that's a good point. They did the same thing last year and lost in the first round to the Heat. So, I doubt they'll go far at all in the playoffs.

Yeah man, that was highway robbery. He deserved to be on that list. I'm glad to see he wasn't looked over this time around though.

-------------------


Joe Dumars made it too!? Niiiiiiiiiiiice! Man, back in the "Bad Boys" days, he was one of the most ferocious defenders during that period. He's won championships as both a player and as the Head of Basketball Operations for the Pistons. Greatly deserved honor for him.

.... and I think it's safe to say that MJ is locked to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...ndremiller.gif

Holy crap, that's funny. Haha.

I've been out of the basketball loop for the last 4 days. It's time for me to get back up to date.

What do you mean "Korver couldn't get up"? Were they laughing their asses off or something too? That would be hilarious.

Joe Dumars too eh -- nice. I remember MJ always saying how Dumars guarded him really well.


I meant he barely jumped high enough to attempt that block.

Oh, Melo essentially cost the Nuggets the game by punching the ball into the stands out of frustration -- after he was fouled, and was going to the line for two freethrows with the Nuggets down by two with 1:11 left in the game.

Clutch. Yes.

Child. Yes.

Melo... meh.

I just realized how many games were on tonight. I guess a little break to end March Madness. Holy crap the New Jersey Nets are on a freaking tear. 13 in a row. Ridiculousness.

Damn, New Jersey. They even clinched the Atlantic Division.

The rest of their schedule is relatively easy, too, with their toughest opponent being Cleveland.

Both the Nets and Cavs have been tearing it up lately. It'd be cool if they both had their streaks going when they meet up. The Cavs completely crushed the Sixers the other night.

Speaking of the Sixers, they have a big game tonight against the Bulls. It's a dogfight between those two teams for that 8th and final playoff spot. I think the Bulls might find a way to pull this game out and inevitably get that 8th spot. You wanna talk about money, clutch fourth quarter players, there isn't a better one right now than Ben Gordon. Outside of Carmelo maybe, Gordon has been playing the best ball in the 4th quarter.

The Bulls now have that eighth seed, after beating the Sixers. Sixers will have their work cut out for them if they want to make the Playoffs.

Dammit, Atlanta beat the Timberwolves at the buzzer. It looked like the Timberwolves were expecting a timeout, but the Hawks just inbounded and outlet the ball, and drove all the way to the bucket.

Hornets win on OT. Here's the line on Chris Paul: 17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists, 6 steals.

Give him the ROY trophy right now.

The Bulls should end up with the 8th seed now. The Sixers have been playing horrible basketball for the last month or so. I think they've lost 12 of their last 16 games or something like that. Whether they make playoffs or not, they'll need to make some drastic changes to that team for next year if they want to be competitive.

They could have probably given Chris Paul ROY after one month into the season. I've heard some people talking about him being a dark horse MVP candidate. While I think that is a bit far-fetched, that still doesn't take away the fact that he is having a spectacular season.

Yeah, Chris Paul for MVP might be stretching it a bit. But he's been extremely valuable to his team, and is a big reason why the Hornets are successful this year.


I am watching the Lakers-Nuggets game. Melo versus Kobe.


EDIT EDIT EDIT:

Melo is sick. Can someone send him a get-well card.

The Heat lost to the Pistons in South Beach last night. Miami now has a record of 18-20 against teams with a .500 record or better. They really need to improve on that if they plan on contending for a championship. The way the Nets are playing right now, I'm tempted to put them over the Heat right now. Plus, the Nets are within striking distance of overtaking Miami in the standings.

And Melo... ::sigh: damn, a get-well card ain't gonna help him. Not even chicken soup or bed rest could cure this sickness. So, I think he's gonna be sick for a looooooooooong time.

Quote of the week: Andrei Kirilenko, on making the Playoffs this year.

Andrei Kirilenko speaking english is hilarious. I remember earlier in the season when he got injured, he said something along the lines of, "It feels not good. It feels bad. I don't like feeling bad. That's not good."

Some other hilarious quotes when he got that 5x5 this year.

All I can say to that is "LOLWTF!?"

The Nets winning streak ends today at 14 (which ties their franchise record). They lost to the Cavs 108-102. Both of those teams have been showing me a lot over the last month or so. They should have a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. Whether that translates into postseason success remains to be seen. It's still the Pistons, Heat... and everybody else when it comes to the East, but they are closing the gap.

Ahahaha, that's gold.


Oh yeah! New Jersey's winning streak just got snapped. Way to go, Lebron: 37 points, with 18 of those in the final quarter.

Did anyone see the Lakers-Suns game last night? I went to bed early, because I was exhausted from having just an hour of sleep the night before. Did Kobe hit 50 again.

Yep, 51 this time... and they still lost. ahahaha! GOTTA. LOVE. IT!

I'm looking at the boxscores now. Wow, Kobe regularly takes more than 30 shots a game. He jacked up 33 shots last night.

To compare, Kevin Garnett has only taken 33 shots once in his entire career.

Oh, Kobe Bryant needs two more technicals this season to receive an automatic suspension. He has 14 on the season now.

Speaking of technicals, Sheed got of his suspension for getting his sixteenth technical too. An awful performance, but what's to note here is that he's gonna have a career low for technicals in a season. With only a few more weeks left, he can't possibly outdo it, with the enusing suspensions following each.

Kobe needs to get injured. Oh wait, they're losing with im doing well. Nevermind. Keep losing.

It's one suspension for every additional two techs, if I remember correctly.

'Sheed has been a relatively good citizen ever since he went to Detroit.

Guys like Kobe and AI are scorers. They'll jack up as many shots as possible regarldess of the situation, how many defenders are on them or even if they have open teammates sometimes. KG is a shooter. He doesn't take as many shots, but 90% of his shots are quality ones. For a scorer, it's all about FGAs... for a shooter, it's about FG %. That's how I think about it.

Haha, what it comes down to is what their supserstar abilities in NBA Live 06 are. :p The New York Knickerbockers are a team of scorers. FAIL.

Oh yeah, it's a suspension for every two. I forgot.

umm... I'm not sure what you mean heh. :P Are you saying if a team has just a scorer, it can't be successful? AI took his team to the Finals a few years back when he was the only REAL scoring threat Phily had. So yeah, what exactly do you mean? Or were you just joking?

At some point, the best type you can be is not a "scorer" or a "shooter" -- but simply a basketball player.

If a player is double or triple-teamed, the logical basketball move/deicison is to pass the ball. Kevin Garnett does that. He is a basketball player.

Lebron James is a basketball player. Steve Nash is a basketball player.

Kobe is a one-man team.

The difference between Kobe and Iverson is that Kobe takes needlessly difficult shots, with people draped all over him. Most of Iverson's shots are either drives or open jumpshots that he earns by shaking people. AI attempts a lot shots, but at least he's usually open.

Nah man, you got what I was saying all wrong. Calling someone a "basketball player" really has nothing to do with how they shoot the ball. People call them that because they don't fit at one specific position. KG can play several positions seamlessly, hence why he is a basketball player. Same thing with LeBron. He can play SG, SF, PG. Being a "basketball player" means you are versatile and can wear more than one hat. Steve Nash doesn't really fit that mold to me, so I don't know if I'd call him a "basketball player", per say. He's a PG, always had been.

AI and Kobe are different in the sense that, yeah, AI tries to involve his teammates more, but that's not what I was saying. Just because AI can break a double team, or shake a defender up to get a shot, doesn't always mean it's a "good shot". When two, three people are coming at you, you know what that means, there is someone on your team open. :P

If you're talking about being an all-around great player, knowing the fundamentals and such, then yeah guys like Steve Nash, Tim Duncan and others are definitely in that mix. But you won't see Nash playing PF, and you won't see Duncan playing SG or PG. That's what a "basketball player" is. That intells way more than just shooting or scoring.

Basically what I'm saying is that being a basketball player or a shooter/scorer are two different things.

Ah I see. But I wasn't disagreeing with what you were saying. I was just throwing my two cents in there regarding the subject, and taking shots at Kobe :p. What I was trying to say with the "basketball player" thing, is that players like KG, Lebron, and Nash make sound basketball decisions. Not necessarily about being versatile or all-around players.

But I think I know what you mean now :) Yeah, in that case, you're right: Being a "basketball player" has nothing to do with a player's being in a category of shooter/scorer.

Ah! I get what you're saying now as well. And yeah, anytime I can get a shot in on Kobe, I take it too! :D Watching him get his points and his team still lose is priceless.... classic, even!

So the Sixers and the Bulls play again tonight.

Philly really needs this one. If they lose tonight, they lose the season series 1-3 to Chicago, and thus lose the head-to-head tie-breaker.

But Chicago has won four straight games, while Philly has lost three straight.

Yeah, like I said earlier, I think the Bulls will get that final spot. Even if the Sixers win tonight, it's gonna be tough for them overtake Chicago. Sucks though, 'cause the NBA needs it's stars in the playoffs. But, on the other hand, it'll give the world a change to get a closer look at the young, up and coming stars on that Bulls team. Guys like Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon and Luol Deng deserve some more exposure.

The Sixers ended up winning that game. Both teams now have identical records, with the Bull holding the tie-breaker.

Looking at the standings, the Pacers have dropped two straight, and the Bucks have dropped four straight. The Sixers may have a decent shot after all.

San Antonio and Dallas are still in that fight for the first spot. The Spurs just narrowed beat the Grizzlies last night to avoid their third straight loss.

New Jersey is trying to catch Miami to grab that number 2 seed. I don't think they'll do it.

Philly has manned up in their last 2 games. They blew out Chicago in a must-win situation and defeated the Wizards. At this point, it looks like the Sixers will make it in. The Bucks are falling.. fast! So, Chicago will have to hope that Milwaukee keeps losing so they can wind up with that 8th spot.

The seeding format the NBA has right now sucks. Dallas is just a half game back of San Antonio for the best record in the West. Whoever doesn't get that top spot automatically gets the 4th seed. That would mean that the Mavs and Spurs would meet in the 2nd round of the playoffs. That does not make sense at all. I know the divisional leaders should get rewarded but it's just weird.

LeBron James hit his second game-winning shot last night. This time against the New Orleans Hornets. Right now, for me, the road to MVP is a 3-man race between LeBron, Kobe and Nash. It's gonna be interesting to see who wins out. All 3 have had incredible seasons.

The Pistsons are 62-15 as of this post. They have 5 games remaining. If they win out, which I don't think they will, they'll finish the season 67-15. Seeing how good this team is goes to show, not only how tough it is to win 70 games, but also shows how amazing that 95-96 Bulls team was. I think it'll be quite sometime before we see a team like that again.

Yeah, Bucks are fading fast. I hope the Sixers make it. They're still at ninth place right now, and they next two games are against the Nets and the Heat.

They have their work cut out for them.

Yeah, the format is a bit weird. Denver's record isn't that good to deserve the third seed. And it'd be strange to see a Dalls-San Antonio matchup on the second round. The West Finals may be anti-climactic.

Second gamewinner -- nice. It's a tough pick for MVP. Lebron stuffs the stat sheet every night with 32-7-7. That is incredible.

Steve Nash, considering the fact that the Suns don't have Amare, Nash has elevated his own play even more, and made Marion so good.

Then there's Kobe. I'm watching the Warriors-Lakers game right now, and Kobe has 30 points. ...It's halftime.

I'm looking at the Pistons last few games, and I don't think it's a stretch to say they can win out: Cleveland, Toronto, New York, Milwaukee, Washington. It's very possible they can finish 67-15. Which, yeah, is still a far cry from the '95'96 Bulls.

That Bulls team just stampeded over the league. But that team, surprisingly, did lose two straight games at one point in the season. No NBA team has ever finished a season without losing consecutive games.

Ha, Allen Iverson scored 40 points in a crucial blow-out win over the Nets.

The Sixers are fighting for this.

Yeah, and 10 dimes to go along with those 40 points. Chris Webber has been playing pretty well during this stretch run too. They have a tough game next against the Heat, if they win that game, they're in.

The Cavs got hammered by the Pistons yesterday. LeBron got hurt with a sprained ankle but it doesn't look serious at all. LeBron is having a sick season. He's now among a select few players to average 30+ points, 7+ rebounds and 6+ assists in one season. That short list includes Michael Jordan, as well as Oscar Robertson, who did it an astonishing 5 times!

The Mavs took a huge hit in their bid to take over the Spurs for that #1 spot. They lost to the Warriors last night. Now, they back 1 and a games behind San Antonio. The Spurs have a slightly easier schedule down the stretch, so I think they'll end up being the #1 seed.

Toronto just beat Detroit. Really.

Mike James scored a career-high 39 points, and is averaging 20.1 points for the season.

Sixers got pounded by the Heat tonight.

And these are cool:

http://www.nba.com/media/cavaliers/L...400_060412.jpghttp://www.nba.com/media/JamesMourning400.jpg

It looks like the Bulls are going to beat the Wizards, so Philly will not make the playoffs.

EDIT:

Yep, Bulls win. Ben Gordon was ON from long range tonight. He tied an NBA record for most 3-pointers without a miss, going 9-9 from beyond the arc.


Now THAT'S levitation, holmes!

Alonzo Mourning has been on the receiving end of some pretty nasty dunks this season. The one by Vince Carter earlier this season is the most noteable one.

Yeah. OH MA GOODNESS. This is some great NBA action with the season nearing the end. I'm loving it. I caught the end of my Wizards getting pwnd by BEN~ GOR~DON~. Saw the finale of the Hornets/Jazz game too. Fun stuff.

Sure Zo has been getting trounced by dunks, but at least he's trying to stop the dunks, and does most of the time anyway. Most just step out of the way. :/ But yeah, Zo is definitely the most posterized.. but mad respect is due.

Edit: Ugh, my Wizards are seventh seeded now. Might as well go for eighth so we get Detroit. Pistons don't stand a chance against the Wiz. ._.

Oh, I definitely agree with that. I wasn't saying I didn't respect him. That's why he gets dunked on so much because he goes up for every ball. 8 times out of 10 he sends it into the cheap seats. Back before his kidney ailment, he was a defensive, shot blocking machine.

Wow, that's impressive. 9-9 is amazing. An NBA record he shares with ... Latrell Sprewell.

Yeah, shotblockers tend to get dunk on a lot. There's always that risk.

I think everyone's climbed Mt. Mutombo at some point.


http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...a-DunkOnZo.gif

haha! I just knew you'd come through with a pic of it. :D ::saves::

Awesome. Vinsanity is vicious.

Dang, if he were to get at least 30 points in these last few season games, he would've hit a 25ppg for the season. Instead, he came out with a 21 and 15-point performance. With 3 games left, he'll need what, at least 35 ppg for the rest. A stretch, but still possible with Philly, NY, and Boston left. Then again, he could just rest...

Dwight Howard ... 28 points, 26 rebounds in a win over the Sixers, whose Playoff hopes are sinking fast.

I like how teams seeded 5 through 8 in the East right now are all sub .500.

Yeah man. It's very, very possible the Magic could end up becoming the 5th seed this week. It's crazy because I most definitely thought a couple of months ago they were just gonna throw this season and hope for a high draft pick. I think they have a protected first round pick this season, not sure which one though. All good though, D-How and the Jameeracle on 54th are beasting out.

With the Bulls winning tonight over the Heat, both the Sixers and Magic have been eliminated from playoff contention.

On another note, I have to say that I like those old-school Miami Floridian ABA unis the Heat have worn a couple times this year. They're pretty tight.

Last day of the regular season. The playoff teams are set. It's been a good year.

My fantasy league is going down to the wire with a 3-way contention for second place. It's cra~zy. I hate how all of my "stars" are resting. :/

The regular season is done and Sat. is the start of the 2nd season. There are some very intrguing matchups in both the West and the East. Here is how the bracket looks:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Detroit
(8) Milwaukee

(4) Cleveland
(5) Washington

(3) New Jersey
(6) Indiana

(2) Miami
(7) Chicago


WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) San Antonio
(8) Sacramento

(4) Dallas
(5) Memphis

(3) Denver
(6) LA Clippers

(2) Phoenix
(7) LA Lakers

In the East, the Cleveland-Washington and New Jersey-Indiana matchups are going to be very interesting. I think both lower seeds in both series have a shot at winning, especially Indiana. Peja is finally starting to find his niche and Jermaine O' Neal is playing a lot better after missing 2 months because on injuries. The Pistons and Heat should make short work of their opponents. Chicago may get one game, but the Bucks should get swept.

In the West, I think all the higher seeds should be a bit worried, EVEN San Antonio. The Kings, since aquiring Artest, have been playing excellent basketball. I think the Spurs will come out the victors, but it could go the distance. The Mavericks-Grizzles series should be entertaining also and could go the 7 games. Dallas will come out on top though. The other two matchups, though, are a crapshoot for me. I have no idea who I should pick. The Suns are a poor defensive team, so Kobe Bryant will definitely get his points. I'm leaning a bit with the Lakers because, even though Phoenix has played well without Amare all year, his absence will be felt much more in the playoffs. Since the games are played a lot slower, not having a dominant post player like him will hurt them a great deal. As far as Denver-LA Clippers gpes, I don't know who to pick. I'm picking Denver though because I think Carmelo will have a great series.

I'm amped for the Playoffs, even though I'm upset that there's no Iverson or Garnett to root for. What a waste to not have them showcasing their talent.

But all eyes on Lebron.

Here are my predictions for the first round:


Pistons (1) vs. Bucks (8): Pistons in four
Cavaliers (4) vs. Wizards (5): Cavaliers in six
Nets (3) vs. Pacers (6): Nets in six
Heat (2) vs. Bulls (7): Heat in five


Spurs (1) vs. Kings (8): Spurs in six
Mavericks (4) vs. Grizzlies (5): Mavericks in five
Nuggets (3) vs. Clippers (6): Nuggets in seven
Suns (2) vs. Lakers (7): Lakers in seven

Predictions, eh...

Well for first round:

Pistons over Bucks in 4. My Wizards, who have a better record against the Cavs, which I'll abuse, over the Cavs in 5. Nets and Pacers will be difficult, but I'll choose the Nets for fun in 6. And Heat over Bulls in 5.

Spurs over Kings in a fun 7-game war. The Mavs in another fun one to 6. The Nuggest over the Clippy Clips in yet another fun one in 7 also. And the Suns hose the Lakers in 2... (ok, 4).

Second round.... Wizards over Pistons as I abuse the season record again, in 5. The Heat over the Nets in 6.

West side: the Spurs over the Nuggets in 5, and the Mavs over the Suns in a fun one in 6.

Next: Heat over the Wizards in an unnecessarily long 7-game series, and the Mavs over the Spurs in 7 for no reason.

Finally, the Mavs over the Heat in 7... completing one of the longest NBA playoffs EVER. :p Greatest misjudgment call, ever.

Haha, I usually just predict one round at a time. It's less messy that way.

Wait a second, Wizards over Pistons in five for Round 2?

:p

Yeah man, the only East team to sweep the Pistons this season, ignoring everything else...

Regular seasons wins and losses don't really have much merit come playoff time. That Washington sweep (3 games) took place during an 82-game season. The last win, on Apr. 19th, was a game in which hardly any of the Piston starters played at all... so you can't really count that one. Winning 3 games over an 82-game span is a lot different than beating a team 4 times in 7 days. Wizards definitely have a shot at beating Cleveland though, esepcially if LeBron is still favoring that ankle.

Speaking of Iverson, I really think Philly is finally going to start shopping him around during the offseason. With this whole Fan Appreciation fiasco now, I think it's time for him to move on. Before, even when they weren't a very good team, AI alone would continue to fill seats. That's not the case anymore. I want him to move on and get a shot at winning a championship. Out of respect for you though Timberwolf, I won't get into KG. :p

"IGNORING EVERYTHING ELSE..." :p

Meh, a Yahoo! Sports headline: 76ers could face uncertain future without Iverson or Webber

The Knicks will take AI. They could always use a twelfth point guard.

Very true, regular season doesn't mean anything. It only gives you some confidence going into the series.

Wow, the whole Fan Appreciation Night fiasco... I don't understand why AI would come 7 minutes after tipoff. That isn't right. AI has shown more maturity in recent years, but he takes a step back with this one.

Haha thanks. But naw, don't worry, you can talk about KG being traded. It's a possibility. I'm a Kevin Garnett fan before I am a Minnesota Timberwolves fan. So if KG ultimately ends up being traded, whichever team he lands on will instantly be the team I root for.

But the latest reports out of Minnesota say that McHale is staying, and suggest that Kevin Garnett is not going anywhere.

Double Post:
So Lebron James had a spectacular Playoff debut in a Game 1 win over the Wizards: 32 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds. (Um, the boxscore says 11 rebounds, but the arena statistician registered 10 at the time).

Beast.

Yeah, LeBron had an amazing playoff debut. He always seems to rise to the ocassion. Both of tonight's games so far have been blowouts. San Antonio completely dismantled the Kings. However, the Bulls are hanging tough with the Heat. As I write this post, they are up by 2 with about 7 min left.

Good game between the Clippers and the Nuggets. Melo had two chances to tie or win the game, but came up empty.

I think this is going to be a fun series to watch.

Yeah, Melo not cashing in on one of those opportunities was very uncharacteristic of him. Given the chance again though, I think he'll make good on it.

D-Wade simply went off in the 4th quarter in Game 1 against the Bulls. For 3 quarters, Chicago pretty much had him in check, then he just exploded and took the game over. The Bulls made mistakes down the stretch that cost them the game but that's to be expected from a young team. Should be an interesting series.

Shaq had a nice game, too: 27 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 blocks, 2 steals.


So, I guess everyone's watching Game 1 of the Suns-Lakers series. Kwame has been playing solid as of late.

I'm watching. ;_;

I really shouldn't be. It's a huge distraction, not to mention spending time here. BUT I CAN'T RESIST. I love this game.

I watched that Wizards game a little bit during the meet. Lebron was sick. I may have to say Wizards in 6 now instead of the originally stated 5... :p

The Nets are the first home team to losing Game 1. Kind of a controversial finish there, with the foul call that really shouldn't have been called.

Double Post:
I hate to say it, but Kobe got robbed. With 22 seconds to go, he was hacked and fouled across his face, and should've been at the line to cut the deficit to two.

heh, I got two words for you: OH WELL! :P

Yeah, like I said earlier, even though the Pacers are the lower seed I really think they have a shot at taking out the Nets. They're finally back to full strength now and their chemistry is starting to mesh well.

Kobe didn't have one of his normal explosive-ball hog-40+points games tonight. Even so, the Lakers were still in the game late. Before the series is said and done though, I wouldn't be suprised if he cracked 50 more than once.

mmm mmmm mmmm, Detroit simply toyed around with the Bucks. Milwaukee had cut the lead to 4 in the 4th quarter, then the Pistons just went and reeled off 11 unanswered points. However, in that fourth quarter, Rip Hamilton injured ankle. He tried to stay in but the pain was too great, I guess. I hope it's nothing serious, because if it is, Detroit will be in some major trouble.

Ha, don't worry -- It's not like I'm not bitter or anything :p

It's just that I want to see Kobe lose fair and square. That's how I like it.

I think Kobe was trying to do his Steve Nash impression, by passing a lot. Too bad he failed miserably in Game 1.



So, I'm watching Game 2 of the Nuggets-Clippers series. Wait a second, I just realized something. Why does the Clippers have homecourt? I thought only in the latter rounds does homecourt go to the team with the better record. I thought in round one, homecourt advantage goes to the higher seed -- in this case, Denver.

Did I miss something.

Double Post:
Ron Artest is suspended for Game 2.

Oops.

You really don't know much about Kobe's game, or the Lakers for that matter, do you? He was playing according Phil's game plan, and it almost worked. KB gets railed for 'allegedly' playing selfish ball. I swear he's damned if he does, and he's damned if he doesn't. BTW, how well is KG and the T-Pups doing in the playoffs? Oh snap, that's right.... hahahaha.

Kobe suddenly playing according to "Phil's game plan" after 80 games of jacking up 27.16 shots per game? It almost worked?

So it's Phil Jackson's idea for Kobe to shoot 7-21, right.

Here's Phil Jackson's quote after the game:

Oops.

Kobe's game is no mystery. With all that talent, he still has trouble being an effective playmaker and a dominator at the same time. He doesn't know how.

If it weren't for that, we probably would not even be in the playoffs. Kobe had to take most of the offensive load because Kwame and Lamar were too passive for most of the season because they just didn't understand the triangle offense.

So it's Phil Jackson's idea for Kobe to shoot 7-21, right.

[QUOTE=Timberwolf]Here's Phil Jackson's quote after the game:

That's precisely what they did. What's your fucking point? Kobe did facilitate the lane by drawing double teams, unfortunately we missed many easy lay-ups that could have won us the game. He tried to take over during the fourth quarter, but he couldn't get his rythm going because of the facilitator role he was playing. Sometimes when you exert yourself too much on one end, you can't get it going on the other. It happens to all greats.



You have got to be bullshitting me. You lost all credibility there. I'll admit, that Kobe doesn't have good court vision like Bron, but that's what Lamar's for.

Kwame and Lamar were too passive for most of the season because they played with a ball dominator who didn't know how to involve them in the offense.

And I heard a rumor that Lamar Odom is a pretty good player. He even makes good decisions when the basketball is in his hands.

Too bad he only sees the ball when Kobe kicks it out.

My point is that Kobe doesn't know how to be a facilitator and a dominant force at the same time. He tried to "facilitate" in Game 1, but couldn't get his own offensive game going when he needed to.

Because, precisely as you said, he couldn't get his rhythm going because of the facilitator role he was playing. He was trying too hard to be something he had no idea how to be.

He doesn't know how to be both a playmaker and a dominant force simultaneously.


We're talking about offense. Being a facilitator on offense can exert yourself so much that you can't get your own offensive game going?

Are you even serious.


Too bad Lamar doesn't see the ball until there's two seconds left on the clock.

Kwame Brown has really shown me something these last few weeks. Halfway through the season, I was officially ready to call this guy a complete bust... then he suddenly just flips the script on me. I'm actually glad to see to see him doing well. Maybe MJ was right after all? (He still should have taken Shane Battier in that draft though

Also, Luke Walton is another guy that needs to keep picking it up. He's a versatile player who can shoot from long-range and is also a great passer. He had a pretty good Game 1 but he needs to give them more.

The Clippers are well on their way to ending their long, long road of futility. They straight up mobbed the Nuggets last night. All 5 of their starters scored in double figures, led by Mobley's 21 points, and Maggette added 12 off the bench. Carmelo got two early fouls in the game and he was never really the same after that. After having a damn good reg. season, 'Melo has picked one hell of a bad time to fall into a rut.

Miami is also now up 2-0 on the Bulls. Like the Clippers, all 5 of their starters also scored in double figures, with 3 of them scoring 20+ points (Shaq and Walker with 22; Wade with 21). The Bulls were down big, fought their way back late, but D-Wade again closed the door on them with great, clutch play down the stretch.

I'm not gonna get into this Kobe Bryant discussion, but it will be interesting to see how he responds in Game 2. By all standards, he didn't have a very good game. It was a quiet game for him, even. It's proven that if he dosen't get his points, 8 times out of ten, the Lakers lose. Watch him try to drop fiddy tonight.

Game 2 between the Lakers and Suns is tomorrow night. I also see Kobe dropping 50 in one of these games. He averaged 42.5 against the Suns this season. It's what he knows.

Denver will have to win both home games to get back in this series. It's hardly impossible, but their confidence and body language seem to say otherwise.

But all eyes on Lebron once again tonight.

Yeah, my bad. I thought the game was tonight. But yeah, Kobe torched the Suns during the regular season.... no pun intended.


The Nuggets seem to already start the games with defeatist attitudes. L.A. has controlled both games from the outset. At the end of the regular season, the Clippers said they wanted the Nuggets, so now I guess we are seeing why. The series isn't over but it ain't far from it.


LeBron should have yet another marvelous game tonight. I wouldn't be suprised if he got yet another triple double. The Wizards have no answer for him..... but who does, really?!

I like how you completely overlooked the part about them NOT understanding the triangle offense. Also, did you catch Lamar's recent comment where he states that he is just starting to get comfortable running the triangle? Of course not, you're just a blind hater who hasn't seen many Laker games this season.

I guess I should have been more specific.... Did you see Kobe on the defensive end helping against the pick and roll? And at times, he was even guarding Nash. You gotta take in to consideration that KB averaged 42 minutes a game this season, and he DID carry the team for the most part. He can only do so much. You can't expect miracles from him every time.

WOW! You wanna talk about polar opposites, LeBron has a spectacular Game 1 then turns around and has a subpar Game 2. He had 26 points on 25 shots and had 9 turnovers, 2 of which came back-to-back in a critical portion late in the game. I know that stars can't be super 24/7 but I definitely did not expect this. I'll give some credit to the Wizards though. They really turned their defensive intensity up in this game. So, the series is now tied 1-1.

The Nets-Pacers series is also tied up now after the Nets throttling of Indiana, 90-75. Obviously, not having Peja in the game really hurt the Pacers, but Vince Carter had a great game scoring 33 points, dishing out 5 assists and pulling down 5 boards. According to reports, Peja was out with a sore right knee. Hopefully he'll be back in the lineup for Game 3, else Indy will be in big trouble.

And with all the Kobe Bryant jabbering, I guess I'll go ahead and post this article about him wanting to change his jersey no. to 24 starting next season. Here's the link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2421874

Kobe's ball dominating tendendy is a big reason why Lamar and Kwame needed so much time to understand the Triangle.

And it's no secret that Kobe himself strays from the principles of the Triangle time and time again.

I don't like Kobe as a person, but I've got mad respect for his basketball talent. Believe it or not, I actually like watching him play basketball. I'm not a blind hater -- I call it as I see it.

I guess I see the point of him wanting to change, but I wonder why he just didn't get 24 instead of 8 in the first place.

It's a close game for the Spurs right now. Hate to be a pessimist, but I don't think they're going to win. Of course I want them to, though.

Sacto almost had it. If only they stayed with the shooters on that Spurs possession.

Kind of a lucky bounce for Barry, but give him credit.

Whew, I'm glad I was wrong. It was a great game, and both teams were pretty good throughout. I was surprised though by how many shots Bibby missed, especially since he only made one shot out of all the regular quarters.

I think now that this series may wind up being over faster than most people think.. I don't think there will be a sweep, but probably no more than five games.

I really thought the Kings had a shot at making this a long series. It's starting to look like I was wrong. The Kings played well without Ron Artest last night. Kevin Martin, the guy who replaced Artest, had a great game though, with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Despite that, the Kings were hurt bad without Ron Ron's defensive intensity. I'm with you Rockgamer, the Kings may get one of these games in Sactown, but this series shouldn't go any longer than 5 games.

Yeah, I give him credit, but that shot should either never have happened in the first place or should have been a highly contested one. Why, up 3, would you sink in your defense to let outside shooters get an open look like that? It's ridiculous. Let them get the easy layup, get a good free throw shooter on the line and knock down your free throws. That mistake cost them the game... and probably any chance of winning this series as well, which was already slim.

Everyone (at least Wizards fans) has been saying that after Haywood hit LeBron, it shook him up enough to take him out of his game. He had been running up to the basket like it was his throughout Game 1 and up to that point in Game 2, but after the Wizards showed some physicality (something they lack greatly usually =/ ) it put that little worry into his head.

Just happy to see that the Wizards can definitely contend though. With the series going to Washington now, I'm hoping for some more of the same result as yesterday.

The Washington series is fun to watch. And watching Lebron play is history in the making.

I'm trying to get tickets to one of the DC home games. A lot of floor seats going off on eBay for a little over $200 right now. I might go! Well, I'll make a friend eBay it and just pay him off if he actually gets them. I'm too busy to put that effort in. :/

Yeah, I could see that. You just can't let a player walk all over you like that. I remember a game in the playoffs last year, the Sonics and the Kings. Ray Allen was simply having his way with the Kings' "defense". He ran all up the lane whenever he wanted, he got any jumpshot whenever he wanted... not a single hard foul. It's not about hurting anybody, but you gotta let 'em know that they just can't carve you up anyway they want. So, I don't blame Haywood for that.

Nash FTW.

The official announcement won't be for another two weeks, but reports out of Arizona name Nash the MVP. Good stuff. Kings James was the runner-up.


Crazy fun as the Suns made it close near the end. Good games.

I took the Wizards in the series, so I hope they win just so I can be right.

Yeah, congratulations go out to Steve Nash. Even though both Kobe Bryant and LeBron had phenomenal years, I think Nash really deserved this honor the most. After losing his most dominant player, he was still able to orchestrate a largely successful season for his team.

Congrats also go out to Avery Johnson for winning the Coach of the Year award. While I felt that Flip Saunders should have won, Johnson was deserving as well. So much respect goes out to him.

The Pistons and Mavs owned the Bucks and Grizzles AGAIN!... So, nothing new there.

The Lakers-Suns game was really good. I can't believe it: Kobe scores under 30.... AND THEY WIN!! Incredible!!! It looks like the guys around him are starting to get the hang of that triangle offense and improving on their continuity. But that dunk....dayum!! Kobe Bryant dunked all up in Nash's grill!! (Timerwolf: I'm counting on you to get me a pic of that! ;))

That dunk was something.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...DUNKONNASH.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...NKONNASH-2.jpghttp://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...NKONNASH-3.jpg

Sorry, no animated .gif this time. I'm searching for it, though.


So the Bulls won Game 3. Interesting.

haha Timberwolf, I knew you'd come through. If you aren't able to find an animated gif though, don't worry about it. DAMN! Kobe straight up baphtized the MVP. SICK!

Yeah man, the Bulls dominated the Heat last night. More specifically, they dominated Shaq. Dude was completely ineffective the whole game, pretty much. He only had 8 points. In the 4th quarter, Miami just imploded. Posey got called for a flagrant 2 on Hinrich, and got tossed for it. Both Udonis Haslem and Antoine Walker got called for techical fouls. And, as time was winding down, all the players on the bench had sad, pitiful looks on their faces. I still think the Heat will win out but the Bulls are quickly closing the gap.

Also, the Nuggets defeated the Clippers without Kenyon Martin, to make the series 2-1. Carmelo Anthony is starting to look like his old self again, scoring 24 points and pulling down 7 rebounds. He also had 4 assists.

Indiana is up 2-1 in their series now after beating the Nets. Vince Carter had a brilliant first half with 21 points, but he cooled off in the second half, and only had 4 points. He also took a hard elbow to the fast when he was trying to go for a loose ball. Jermaine O'Neal tied his career high with 37 points and Peja Stojakovic returned from his injury to chip in with 10 points. I'm gonna stick with Indy in this series. They've underachieved all season long and they're peaking at the right time.

It was also a charge. :/ Fucking Kobe.

I was surprised the Bulls won. Other than that, I was actually kind of uninterested in the games last night. I was watching hockey playoffs more last night. I only caught most of the Bulls-Heat game, and saw the end of the Clippy Clips. Interesting wins, though last night. We're in for a long first round.

Let's go Wiizards.

<3 how Sacramento is playing well now, it was long since i watched Nba, ever since jackson and peja left i have lost interest but now i have seen their game, i was amazed how good ron artest is.

Didn't go this Wizard's game, but I might go to Sunday's. ;_; But what an amazing fourth quarter. Lebron James was biting his nails like no other in the final seconds. Lebron James with the BARREL ROLL. Lebron James continuing to make history. Classic. This series is gonna be a battle (like almost all the other ones).

OSNAP THE KINGS WON. I expected them to win at some point. It seemed like a great game, and I wish I could've seen it. Saw the final highlight though. What a ridiculous buzzer beater. KEVIN MARTIN WITH THE BARREL ROLL.

Saw the Suns-Lakers game instead. Double digit scoring for all the starters. O_O. Wow. I also liked Phoenix fast break points: 22, Lakers: 0.

Mike Miller got the Sixth Man Award, and I completely forgot about him when considering who it would be even though he was on many of my fantasy NBA squads. Who knew? I definitely has Speedy Claston in mind. I guess a lot of other candidates I had in mind did become starters by the end of the season.

Yeah, yesterday was a great night of Playoff basketball. Every game was close and intense.

Lebron was terrific, though I am almost certain that he traveled on two of those baskets.

That Kings-Spurs game was thrilling.

Tke Lakers are really starting to impress me now. And, though I hate to admit it, KOBE is beginning to impress me, specifically. He's really getting his teammates involved. Everyone contributed in someway last night. If they keep playing this way, and at this level, I think they will win the series. Steve Nash was not playing like his usual MVP-self.

Ron Artest had a huge impact in last night's win for the Kings. If they can continue to hold homecourt, they'll have a shot to possibly make this a series. It's a longshot but a shot, nonetheless.

The Wizards choked last night. They had the game well in-hand and let it slip away. Gilbert Arenas and LeBron James both had monster games. I really thought Washington had it when Arenas hit that shot at the end and converted on the And1, but LeBron was able to pull that final shot out of his ass.... should have been called for steps, but it wasn't called. I agree nazpyro that this will be a highly contested series. The battles scoring battles between Arenas and James have been fun to watch.

Oh yeah, and congrats to Mike Miller on winning the Sixth Man Award.

The real Pistons were napping.

124-104. What is that.

Did they really give up 124 points. I must be seeing things.

I'm gonna give the Pistons the benefit of the doubt on that one. Giving up 124 points is unacceptable. Michael Redd went off though. He couldn't be stopped.

No Wizards game for me again, though I have two friends going. Gee I hate school. Hopefully Wizards make the series last to bring it back to DC... or win and move on to the next round. I think I could definitely make any other game besides tonight's.

Anyway, go Wiz.

Will Memphis ever get a playoff win? ;_; Come on Kung Pau.

If the Wizards had won that last game, I really thought they were gonna win the series. They still have a great shot though if Arenas keeps playing the way he has been. Sucks you weren't able to go to any of the games.

No. :P

Kobe Bryant. Oh my.

As much as I dislike him as a person, he's still a brilliant individual basketball talent.

That was an awesome 4th quarter performance on behalf of the Lakers, Bryant's clutch factor...simply amazing.

What a clutch performance. It's one thing to take last second shots when the game is tied, and you're trying to win the game. If you miss, it's overtime.

But it's a whole other thing to take last second shots when your team is trailing. The feeling and pressure are completely different.

The Suns got robbed. Simple as that. Several times in that game, especially in the 4th quarter and overtime, Nash and crew got a raw deal. With that being said, it still was a great finish. Kobe's shot was magnificent.

Chicago and Washington both picked up huge wins today as well. Both of those series are tied 2-2 now. Each of those series could go either way now, I think. Gilbert Arenas had another great game and Kirk Hinrich is quickly becoming a star in this league. They're both fun to watch.. and they play the game the right way.

That last possession for Phoenix was a bad call, jump ball and no foul...come on. Still though, it made for an interesting finish.

Yeah, it did seem a little iffy. But what can you expect when they are playing in L.A.? I got give Kobe his props though, as he did his thing when he needed to, which was right at the last few seconds.

I don't think there was too questionable a call after seeing the replay. They got Nash trapped and he was stumbling, bound to either travel or fall out of bounds. If the refs are going to help you out of that, well, depends on the stage of the game and where you're playing. It could of gone the other way if they were in Pheonix, easy. That's home court advantage for you.

It's not even about a foul or traveling. Nash was calling for a timeout. He should have gotten it. I know all about home cooking, and by the way it looked, that's exactly what this was. Like I said, they got robbed.

I say that, but by the same token, Steve Nash missed like 3 wide open 3-point shots in the 4th quarter that could have put daggers in the Lakers chances, but still, the Suns have a gripe about how all that played out. Nothing they can do now.... just suck it up and get focused on Game 5.

Wouldn't go that far... Arenas has been Mr. Ill-Advised shot all season, but he has been getting better. He took a deep three late in the game I didn't like, but it did go in. He's been especially awesome lately. Defensively, he's been freaking everywhere. Great win for the wizards, indeed.

Bulls, osnap.
Lakers, osnap.

Kings... FTW. :p

Nash ADMITTED to not calling a time-out after the game. Diaw was the one calling for a time out - he was supposed to run over to the official and call it, instead he called it from across the court with all the noise and shit going on. Clearly, a straight-up rookie mistake. Props to my Lakers for beating the Suns twice in one game, lol.

Damn, the Spurs lost, though it's not a surprise by the way they were playing. It was painful watching the gap get wider and wider, mainly in the fourth quarter. Even with this defeat though, I still predict that the Spurs will win the series in 5 games (meaning they'll win the next two).

Wow. I can't remember the time when overall NBA First Round action was THIS intense.

THIS IS INTENSE. There are so many 2-2s right now. And only Memphis is going to get out with no win.

Did he? I did not know that. Well, that changes everything then. Like I said though, Nash had several opportunities to win the game for his team and came up short, so I wasn't trying to make excuses for him or anything.

The Lakers are playing with nothing to lose. Coming into the series, no one expected them to win this series. For this team, just making the playoffs would have constituted a successful season. Now, they're on the brink of making it to the second round. It's just funny how the reg. season and playoffs have been complete polar opposites as far as how they are playing. In the reg. season, it was all about Kobe scoring 40 and 50 a night, now he isn't even cracking 30 and he's getting his teammates involved. This has to be Phil Jackson's greatest coaching job ever.

You mean six games :) The series is knotted at 2-2.

Ginobili managed only 11 points in Games 3 and 4 combined. They'll need more out of him if they want to win the series.

The Kings are playing well. Bonzi and Artest are playing great. Not to mention Kevin Martin (AKA The Real K-Mart) and Mike Bibby. Bibby's shooting 35.5% for the series, though.

If it weren't for the fortunate bounce on Barry's shot in Game 2, this series could easily be 3-1 right now for the eighth-seeded Kings.

Alright, I'm excited (even more now). I got tickets to the Game 6 Wizards game. Not as good seats as I was originally going for, but just being there is awesome enough. What's also cool is we got a contiguous block of seats, so the 6 of my friends that are also coming along can sit together. Mad fun.

We can cheer on Arenas, who as of now I will call my boy.

Yeah, that was typo that I didn't catch. I did mean to say six.

But yeah, Ginobli wasn't at his best these last two days, and in general the Spurs are usually at their worst on the road. Even so, I'm hoping they can pull off at least one victory on the road (Game 6) , so that the series won't have to go down to the wire.

Clippers and Mavericks move on.

Did Dallas even break a sweat.

Jerry West had put together a great team down there in Memphis. The one thing they're lacking is someone who can create and make their own shot in clutch situations. Hopefully, they wil start hunting for that type of player during the offseason.

Man, the Nuggets were a huge disappointment in the playoffs. That whole Kenyon Martin debacle certainly didn't help matters either. They'll probably try to trade him this summer.

Congrats to the Clips and Mavs for making it to the 2nd round. Especially the Clippers, since that franchise hadn't won a playoff series since 1976.

Damon Stoudamire was pretty solid in those situations. I remember his days with the Raptors, making a lot of big shots.

The Nuggets were definitely a disappointment this year in the Playoffs. This was their shot. Their first legit shot at advancing. Two years ago, they were playing underdogs to the top seed Timberwolves. Last year, they were playing underdogs to the eventual Champs. This year was their chance.

And they crumbled.

Poor Melo didn't shoot well in the series (33.3%).

Kenyon Martin is a player I never liked. That goes back to his New Jersey days.

The Spurs-Kings game was pretty good tonight, especially for Manu, who seem to get back in his groove tonight. I gotta give it up to Bonzi though, as he was playing great tonight as well.

Now I just hope that the Spurs can pick up a victory in the next game, even though it's in Sacramento. As long as they can at least keep playing like this, they should be able to pull out a victory, even if it's a narrow one.

Wow, a night resulting all in 3-2 series. Craaaazy. We'll get a possible 3-2 with Milwaukee/Detroit tomorrow night (but probably not), and definitely one with the Wizards.

I don't know what kinda game would be more fun to watch on Friday, a game which would be a must-win for the Wizards to stay alive, or a series-winning game. Whew.... excited I am.

Miami had a huge scare in their game against the Bulls last night. Dwayne Wade went for a dunk and landed on his hip. At first, it looked a lot worse than it actually was. However, in the second half, he was able to come back into the game and garner his team to a 3-2 lead in the series, with Shaq in foul trouble. Oh... and that pass he made to Alonzo when he did the spin was pretty hot.

Against my better judgement, I'm thinking that the Spurs-Kings series could go 7 games. I know San Antonio is the better team but the Kings play much better at home with that crowd. So, I think Sacramento will win Game 6 and the Spurs win Game 7 back in San Antonio.

Phoenix bounced back from their heart-breaking loss in Game 4 to win Game 5. Boris Diaw showed why he was voted Most Improved Player this year by leading the team with 25 points and adding 10 rebounds. The rivalry between Raja Bell and Kobe Bryant escalated as well. Bell was ejected from the game for giving Bryant a hard foul around the head/neck area. Bryant held his cool, but but he was ejected late in the 4th quarter for arguing with a ref. The Suns won this game but still have a long way to go. Game 6 in LA will be fun to watch.

This isn't really Playoff relevant, but a little randomness doesn't hurt:

Dwight Howard:

Dwyane Wade: Fall down 7 times. Get up 8. Now, no one really knows what this means. FALL DOWN 273047235093 times GET UP 273047235093 + 1. OSNAP.

Dwight Howard: OH MA GOODNESS. What a good sport. Nice of him to sign it. Now, where do I get this shirt? Then again, I don't really want a shirt with Kobe on it. :/

Damn man, that dunk isn't as sick as the one Vince Carter did in the Olympics a few years back, but not far from it. Most people would have either gotten upset or refused to sign the t-shirt but Howard didn't. I like his attitude and how he handled that situation. I bet the guy who wanted to get it signed was trying to get a rise out of him. Howard is a good kid and class act. He's proven that on the court, and this is an example of his personality off of it.

Nice find.

Yeah, Dwight Howard is a nice kid. He's got a very bright future in the league.


Trade rumour: Ricky for AI

Surely the T-Wolves would have to give up more than just Ricky to get AI.

But can someone please make it happen.

KG and AI. Dope man.

OH MA GOODNESS. WE GOT LEBRON'D. Man, I'm crying now. What a ridiculous finish. Awesome game.

BUT WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T THE WIZARDS CALL A TIMEOUT, not to mention poor time management near the end. They had a full timeout and a 20-second time out with the .9 seconds left. ...

This makes the Friday game I'm going to a MUST-WIN. WE MUST WIN.

The commentators are having a field day with this one.

I like how Detroit gave up 124 points to the Bucks in Game 3, then came back to score 109 and 122 in games 4 and 5 respectively, to close out the Bucks. When their offense is clicking like that, they are unbeatable.

LeBron James burned Washington yet again last night, hitting another game-winning shot. The Wizards have been snake-bitten in this series. I think Washington will pull out Game 6 at home. Then when Game 7 comes around, all bets are off.

I enjoy this back and forth between Raja Bell and Kobe Bryant. Bryant calls Bell a kid but the guy is 2 years older than him. I don't think the Suns will lose all that much without having Bell in the lineup. Even though they are still down, I still favor Phoenix in this series.

If the T-Wolves could somehow acquire Iverson, it would be great for them. It'd be awesome if, after all these years of not being able to win a championship individually, they teamed up to win one together. I , for one, hope it comes to fruition.

That Suns-Lakers game last night was another classic. I didn't know Tim Thomas had that in him.

Game Seven. Niiiiice.

Nets and Heat move on. Should be a good series.

Yeah, that Suns-Lakers game was nice. Even though Kobe was on fire (50 points!), the Suns still managed to force a game 7. While I personally don't like the Lakers (I don't think there are any Spurs fans that do), I'm gonna go with them for winning Game 7 tomorrow, even though they don't have home court advantage.

Yeah, that game was great. But what do yu mean about Tim Thomas? He's always been a great player, even back in his days with the Bucks.

Damn! Gilbert Arenas has such a great game, then goes and costs his team the series by missing two key free throws. I never would have thought I'd ever call him a choke artist... but he surely choked at the charity stripe (huge 3-pointer to send the game into OT though). So, the Cavs win the series, and get the privledge of getting handled by the Pistions. Should be a good series, though.

A gutsy three-pointer off a pumpfake after a scramble Suns offensive rebound ... I was just surprised he took and made that shot, especially when Nash was open and calling for the ball.


Yeah, poor Gilbert's two freethrow misses cost them the game.

Damon Jones, who saw his first action of the night, went ahead and hit the gamewinner. The Cavs advance, and we get to see more of Lebron James.

They might just give the Pistons a run for their money. Or not, if the Pistons decide they like their offense more than their defense.

You'd be suprised what some people are capable of when their season is on the line and they have to take a desperation shot. But again, he's a disciplined, veteran player who's been in the trenches of the postseason before. So, if I were a Suns fan, I'd be comfortable with him taking that shot. Maybe he didn't know how much time was left and figured an extra pass might have cost them.

I'll give the Cavs one game in this series. If the Pistons are gonna score 100+ each night, you can forget about it. With that defense, it's a sweep in the making. Rest assured, if the Cavs had been playing the Pistons tonight, Damon Jones would NOT have gotten a wide open look like that.

Heh, I didn't realize that Thomas is a career 37.1% three-point shooter, and that he is shooting 51.6% from the arc in this series.


Ooooh, Artest rolled an ankle.

So yeah, that Spurs-Mavs series should be hot.

I don't want to get my hopes up too early, but it looks like the Spurs are gonna take this. hey've been playing pretty good for a road game.

time for the post-wizards game rant. this'll feature a completely objective view of the game and it's officiating, and if you disagree, you suck at life. forever. it's still in the works and i'll finalize it as i put in my blog and stuff.

what did lebron say to gilbert on the free throw line? "if you miss the second free throw, you're going home." lebron james... king james... more like queen bitch. what a frikkin' cry baby. i swear, after seeing this game and the way it was officiated, i have lost all reverence of lebron james that i've had since his inception into the nba. all he did forabout 90% of the game was complain and moan about the 1 out of 20 calls that didn't go his way. meanwhile, gilbert arenas continued to get no respect at all, getting absolutely none of the superstar calls (or even non-supserstar) calls to go his way. i can clearly describe at least 12 situations where this happened. never getting continuity calls or superstar calls of any type, but ultimately leading up to at least once, not get a goaltending call, including one that cost the game, and will be highly contested for all eternity. there you have it. lebron sucks at life.

this isn't to say gilbert was being an ideal player. he had fair share of ill-advised shots as always and probably should've hit at least one of those free throws near the end (but it shouldn't have come down to that anyway). he always comes out of nowhere! lebron, on the other hand, is a player i'm really beginning to dislike, if not already hate. thinking about past game, it's become clear that really all he does other than play really good basketball and complaincomplaingcomplainmoanbitchwhinewhinebitch and gloat. i say it's reached the point where i'm actually liking kobe over lebron now. in fact, kobe has stepped into my good side lately; meanwhile, lebron... the king has fallen. very lame to go rowdy at the end and start up a dogpile with his teammates. what the hell. despite all this, gilbert was still a good sport and gentleman to go over to the cavs' locker room and say "good game."

but what a game. it had all the excitement i expected, though quadruple overtime would've been nicer. one overtime was really frikkin' sweet to be there for. now, as a fan, i would say i went all out: lost my voice, blue hair, cheering gear set. the evening was legendary. oh, the cry baby cam is awesome.

i have pictures galore. i'll have those online sometime next week.

Man, watching that game live as a Wizards fan must've been tough. The refs did blow that goaltending call, which would've changed the dynamics of the game, if not the outcome.

I feel you, man.

But why blame Lebron for the inept officiating? That missed goaltending call had nothing to do with Lebron. Every single superstar in the league complains about calls that didn't go his way. It's not like Lebron is breaking new grounds here. And if he gets superstar calls ... it's not really his fault.

nazpyro, I understand where you're coming from. The last 3 games of the series, the Wizards lost by just one point in each game. The officiating was suspect in all 3 of those games at points. A call here or there and the Wizards might have won this series. But, superstars getting special calls and arguing about calls that they feel aren't warranted, is nothing new. Everybody does it... even the scrubs. You can't blame LeBron for that. And as far as what he said to Arenas at the line, doesn't matter. Arenas is an 80+ % free throw shooter. There is no reason why he shouldn't have knocked down at least one of them. It was an amazing game to watch at home though, so I can only imagine how exciting it was for you being there live.

Let's get it on.

The best series in this year's opening round ends tonight.

ROFL! Oh man, this is gonna be good. I'll definitely be checking this one out. This series has been a nail-biter from start to finish just like the Cavs-Wizards series. This Bell-Bryant back and forth is making this Game 7 that much more interesting.

Not blaming Lebron, or Bron Bron, or Bon Bon, or whatever you want call him for the poor officiating. He just gets more calls his ways from the officiating. It's not that the Cavs won the game, it's just how Lebron handled himself on the court which was pretty pissy. Superstars complain, yeah, but seriously not as much as much as Lebon. Every trip up and down the court he's yakking something off to the ref, shaking his head, crying, and all that good pissy shit. Even Michael Jordan was a complaining bitch during his career, but Lebron really is taking it to a new level. As for Arenas missing the free throws, it's true he should've made them. You just have to even slightly consider the fact that it should have never come down to that. And still, the complete lack of respect for Gilbert Arenas...

Lakers... Suns... it's gonna be gooooood.

Can't wait to see them!

The Spurs-Kings game was pretty good last night. I'm just glad that they were able to pull it off without there having to be a Game 7 (though it definitely would have been an exciting one. Now I can't wait to see how we play against the Mavs on Sunday. The series could probably go either way, but I'm definitely predicting at least six games, though there will probably be a seventh.

And man, this Kobe/Bell thing is at its peak now. Time to see which one can back up their talk by taking their team to the next round. It's gonna be a sweet game!

You're right, it should have never come down to that. Several wizards players, including Arenas and Jamison, had GREAT looks at 3-pointers in that overtime period and couldn't knock them now. Couple that with Arenas' misses at the free throw line, you can't blame the refs for that loss too much. Part of being a great team is overcoming adversity. They had a 7 point lead with just over 2 minutes to go and couldn't close the door. This loss belongs at the doorstep of the Wizards' team, not the referees. I know losing the way you did is a bitter pill to swallow (we've all been there), but come on man...

As exciting as the opening round has been, there really hasn't been an upset at this point. Even if the Lakers win tonight, it isn't really an upset.

Speaking of upsets, here's one of the greatest in NBA history: Nuggets over SuperSonics in 1994.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ARDMUTOMBO.jpg

Hahaha. Does the Reignman even call that a haircut.

That Nuggets upset of the Sonics in '94 was as improbable as any I've ever seen. During that period, the Supersonics were a powerhosue. The way that series ended with Dikembe laying flat on the court, clutching onto the ball was one of those great moments that you ever forget.

Yeah, and the fact that they lost Games 1 and 2, only to storm back and take three straight games from Seattle. Simply amazing.



Hey wait a minute. Game 7 Lakers-Suns is not on in Canada?

Four Sportsnet channels ... nope.
The Score ... nope.
TSN ... nope.
Raptors TV ... nope.

What the hell.

I guess I'll have to catch the tape-delay on Raptors TV at midnight.

I was surprised by the Lakers in this game. Not that they lost, but by the fact that they never had the lead the entire time. I thought this was going to be a close, down to the wire kinda game, but alas, it was nothing like that. Well, at least that puts Phoenix in the books, coming back from being down 3-1.

Okay, I just finished watching the game.

What the hell kind of Game 7 was that.

Edit: Almost as bad as last year's Rockets-Mavericks Game 7.

I actually missed the game because I was out at the movies. I only got a chance to see the box score and stats. What was wrong with it?

The Suns jumped on the Lakers early, and blew them out. The Lakers never looked competitive, never looked like they grasped the urgency and significance of a Game 7. The Suns were getting open shots, driving in open lanes.

Kobe Bryant took three shots -- and scored only one point (on a technical freethrow) -- in the entire second half.

It was a disappointing Game 7, with absolutely no suspense.

Damn! That sounds like the exact opposite of what a Game 7 is supposed to be. Now I don't feel bad at all about missing it. That's a dissapointing wait to exit the playoffs if you're the Lakers. Why play your asses off in six games, then show no effort whatsoever in Game 7? Ridiculous. Maybe they were gassed out after losing that 3-1 lead. Still no excuse, though. Ah well, the better team won in the end.

Yeah ... it was a boring Game 7.


But hey, Round 2 starts today, opening with the marquee series between the Spurs and Mavericks. Surely everyone's watching it right now.


Here are my predictions for Round 2:

Spurs-Dallas: Spurs in 7
Suns-Clippers: Suns in 7

Pistons-Cavaliers: Pistons in 5
Heat-Nets: Heat in 6

I am. It's been alright so far but hopefully it picks up more in the second half.

Duncan has 20 points, and it's not even halftime.



So it's official -- Nash is about to receive his second consecutive MVP trophy.

Well-deserved.

It's a good thing i didn't see the fall of the Lakers >.>.

Oh well LA is still in the playoffs. The Clippers.. So it wouldn't matter if Lakers and Clippers win or lose. LA beats LA. too bad we can't see that either ;p.


The Nets are doing fairly well.

Pistons are chewing up the Cavs right now.

Detroit's playing some good basketball. It's scary how good their offense has become.


Edit: Lindsey Hunter. Long range bombs. Oh my.

Their offfense could have been this good last year if Larry Brown had given them the freedom that Flip Saunders has this year. I was gonna give the Cavs one game in this series, but I wouldn't be suprised if it ends up being a sweep.

Spurs win a huge game against the Mavs in Game 1. Dallas had a golden opportunity to steal this game but came up short. I'm gonna take the Spurs in 6 games for this series.

Much love and congratulations to Steve Nash for winning MVP for the 2nd straight season. I thought that with Amare's adsence this season, the Suns would falter and struggle big time, but Steve Nash kept the machine running smoothly all year. I think them winning those 3 games in a row against the Lakers sealed the deal. Again, congrats!

I don't think Brown is as good an offensive strategist as Saunders, who has a massive arsenal of play-sets up his sleeves.

Brown is better at getting his team to play defense than Saunders, though. Good thing Flip took over a team that already has that defensive mindset, as well as already having defensive-oriented players (Ben, Tayshaun, etc).

Well, that's true too. But what I mean is that Brown preferred running a half-court offense most of the time. On the other hand, Saunders lets them to get out and run on the fastbreak. Guys like Prince, Billups, Hamilton and 'Sheed are thriving this year because of that. But yeah, your point is right on too.

Uh, Ben Wallace air-balled both freethrows on one trip.

Is that the first time that's happened in the NBA. I need to know.

oh, hell nah, playah. I've seen that several times. I think even Big Ben has done that before in the past.

Two airballs on one trip? It's happened several times?

That's really, really embarassing. Big Ben had a big sheepish grin after that today. I guess when your team is up by 900 points, you can afford to :)

Maybe not several, but definitely a couple.

Pistons just rolled over the Cavs in that game. They had control of the game from the opening tip. Joe Dumars... you're a friggin' genius, brotha.

Yeah, it's a great collection of players, who had rocky starts in the NBA. Guys like Chauncey Billups who played for five teams in his first four seasons in the league, and guys like Ben Wallace who went undrafted.

And now. Ben Wallace is about to win yet another Defensive Player of the Year award -- his fourth, trying Mutombo's record. He will get the trophy on Tuesday when the official announcement is made.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...LOCKGOODEN.jpg

The block from today. I thought Gooden was going to throw that down, since he had a lot of room. But Big Ben snuffed him out.

Yeah, Big Ben has aired both on several occasions.

Dang, I was gone all day today, and it looks like I missed an intense Texas battle.

Haha...Detroit owned Cleveland. Take that Bon. Had the better team from the Wiz/Cavs series won, it would've been a completely different story, maybe not a 'w,' but something worth watching.

This might be a stretch, but I am beginning to think that Ben Wallace is the greatest post (on and off the ball) defender since Bill Russel. Big Ben is one of those cats where guys will miss wide open shots JUST because they know he's in the vicinity. That Drew Gooden play is a prime example of his skills. Gooden thought he had a sure-fire throwdown but it ended up getting sent into the cheap seats.

Congrats to Ben Wallace.

And yeah, if the Wizards had won that series, it would have been a closer game. The Wiz may have only lost by...like... 15 points or so lol (j/k). But yeah, against the Pistons, you need more than one reliable scorer. Washington has 3, at least. The Cavs on the other hand, with Larry Hughes stinking up the joint, aren't so lucky. They will get mauled in this series if Detroit's offense keeps going on all cylinders like it has been these last few games.

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...NKONNASH-4.jpg

Still looking for an animated .gif ...

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...RGUENOCALL.jpg

Arrg.

http://www.nba.com/media/DRobinsonJer600.jpg

A Ginobili jersey.

http://www.nba.com/media/wALLACEDEFENSE600.jpg

Fear the Fro.

http://www.slamonline.com/links/kobekiss.jpg

Are they friends.

LOL! Looks like Luke Walton wants to join in. I had no clue Kobe rolled like that! haha!!

O_o. Kobe...

Anyway I got some of the pics from that game up in my chocojournal (shortened form). It links to my personal blog where I have the full entry plus rant, as well as the full gallery.

Nets, osnap. I see them getting that series. Ohh, and Suns taking care of another LA team. Maybe the Suns will wanna take it to a Game 7 again.

Nice photos.

That video clip your friend took of Arena's OT-forcing three-pointer cracked me up.

I imagine y'all were too hyped and jumping up and down to remember you were holding a camera.

Wow, the Spurs got waxed by the Mavs at home last night. Josh Howard had 27 points and Devon Harris, in his first start of the postseason, came up huge with 20 points. Dirk Nowitzki added 21 points. Tim Duncan had 28 points for the Spurs, but he got into foul trouble in the 3rd quarter and was out for a huge stretch, and the Mavs took advantage of it. San Antonio might be in some trouble here.

Speaking of blowouts, Detroit blew out Cleveland for a second straight time. Even though the Cavs did make a game of it late, the game wasn't as close as the score shows. LeBron James was not aggressive in the first half and that played right into Detroit's hands. In the second half though, he made more of an effor to get in the flow of his game and that's when they started to come back. They came up short but I'm sure it gave them something to hang their hat on heading to Cleveland for Game 3.

Wow, Dallas played really well. I missed both games, as I was out. But it looks like they weren't very competitive anyway.


So the Kings are letting Adelman go.

Hmm...

Wow, very stupid move by the Kings here. Adelman is the winningest coach in that franchise's history. He brought that team from the gutter and made them into contenders. I'm sure someone else will pick him up though. I've been hearing rumors that Don Nelson is a candidate to take Adelman's place.

I missed the Spurs game last night, so I was saddened to hear that they lost. However, since they lost by so much, I guess it was inevitable. From what you posted bishop, it sounds like the Mavs were in top shape, so they pretty much earned it.

This may turn out to be a pretty good series, possibly going to Game 7. But now we have to wait until Saturday for the next game. Oh well, at least we'll have two games each from the Clippers-Suns series and the Heat-Nets series during that time.

I still take the Spurs to win this series. The Spurs, along with the Pistons, are the best teams on the road. So, even though they lost home-court advantage, they are fully capable of getting it right back in Game 3. I'm hearing that both Manu and Duncan have some nagging injuries, though. If that's the case, this series may be an uphill climb for them.

Yeah, I know Duncan had a foot injury, and I believe Manu had injured his shin. They said they were trying to rely on Duncan less because of his foot, but considering how many points he's still getting you wouldn't really notice.

Kind of choppy.

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...DunkOnNash.gif

Kobe. Ownage.

I was gonna tune to the game, but it's just boring when games are blowouts. The first quarter of the Suns-Clippers game will be fun. If it's close, I'll keep it on; otherwise, I'll... meh, cry. Why not?

Yeah, I'm also waiting for the Suns-Clippers game. The Heat-Nets game is just about over ... blowouts aren't fun to watch.

Wow, the Game 2 matchups between the Nets-Heat and Clippers-Suns was the exact opposite of how things went in Game 1. The Heat were scorching last night. That game was over halfway through the first quarter. Also, down three-headed monster of Brand, Mobley and Cassell came up huge for the Clippers. Both games were pretty boring and uininteresting to watch though.

Thanks for the animated pic, T-Wolf.

Also, Chris Paul won ROTY. Like ANYONE was suprised by that. Dude had the award on lock a week into the season. Congrats to him.

Yeah Chris Paul had the thing locked back in November. Still, congrats to him. Too bad the Hornets slipped out of the Playoff picture in the latter portion of the season.


So there's no game tonight. I just got home, and was wondering where my games at. Then I checked the schedule.

Blowout Playoff games are no fun to watch. I hope the second round gets better in a hurry.

Not only is he a great player but he also has great personality and character. I saw an interview with him on Jim Rome is Burning a couple days ago and he was asked about his feelings on people saying his rookie season was better than Magic's when he won the championship that year. He was very humble and said that that was going way too far, and he pointed out that Magic carried his team to a title that year and played pretty much every position on the team at some point.

He's the type of guy that I'd love to have as the face of my franchise.


Yeah man, I hate that too. I hope tonight's games are a lot more competitive.

--------------------------

Also, the 2005-2006 NBA All-Defensive teams were announced. Here's the breakdown:

2005-06 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE FIRST TEAM
Position Player, Team 1st 2nd Points
Guard Bruce Bowen, San Antonio 26 3 55
Center Ben Wallace, Detroit 26 2 54
Forward Andrei Kirilenko, Utah 19 6 44
Forward Ron Artest, Sacramento 11 8 30
Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers 12 4 28
Guard Jason Kidd, New Jersey 9 10 28


2005-06 NBA ALL-DEFENSIVE SECOND TEAM
Position Player, Team 1st 2nd Points
Forward Tim Duncan, San Antonio 7 9 23
Guard Chauncey Billups, Detroit 7 9 23
Forward Kevin Garnett, Minnesota 4 10 18
Center Marcus Camby, Denver 2 11 15
Forward Tayshaun Prince, Detroit 3 7 13

Jason Kidd All-Defensive First Team? That is wack. I want to know which nine idiots gave him first place votes.

Kevin Garnett All-Defensive Second Team? What is wrong with the system.

lol yeah, seriously. These voters don't see to have a clue. Outside of your points, I don't really have any other problems with the selections. I might have opted to swap Tayshaun Prince and Ron Artest though, since Artest missed a chunk of the season and Tayshuan's played all year for the best team in the league.

Yeah, Tayshaun Prince is one of the best defenders in this league. His season stats (blocks and steals) don't tell the story of just how great he is defensively. He gets his long arms in the passing lanes, and alters so many shots.

Well, last night's games were a lot closer this time around. The Heat-Nets game was pretty close throughout until the Heat began to pull away at the end. Vince Carter had a huge game with 43 points but it wasn't enough as the Heat took a 2-1 lead in the series. The Clippers looked like they were gonna win last night, but the Suns went on a huge run late in the 4th quarter to win the game and also take a 2-1 lead in their series. Steve Nash hit a fading jumping as the 24-second clock expired to ice it.

All-Defense teams tend to lag a couple years based on reputation (Payton got it a few years ago and then was murdered by Billups in the Finals a few years later). Kidd has been a great defender over the years, but he's lost a step (he got his ass torched by Anthony Johnson ). I also have my misgivings on Artest, since he only really played half a season.

Lots of people wanted Bruce Bowen winning DPOTY as well. It'd be fairly impressive, since most of the winners have been shot blocking big men (Artest won it a few years ago, and I think Payton is one of the few guards within the last decade to win it). Bowen's lock-down defense is impressive, but I dunno. The fact that Wallace is always around to block shots and work the glass, is able to step out against guards, and generally scare the bejeezus out of anyone who comes near the basket seems more valuable to me.

Oh well. When do the All-NBA teams get announced?

Ben Wallace is my choice. Wallace's defense is much more respected and legit around the league -- and around the media I'm sure -- than Bruce Bowen's is.

Bowen's tactics borderline dirty. He likes to crowd a player taking a jumpshot, and sometimes even plants his feet underneath the landing spot of the jumpshooter. It's a surefire way of making sure someone rolls an ankle.

And then there's crap like this ... (which I posted earlier in this thread)

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room1...BowenDirty.gif

I love how the media and a lot of NBA fans confuse Bowen's dirty, unprofessional play for good defense. I'm sure a lot of players in the league don't like or respect him, though.

In other news, Larry Hughes probably won't be in the lineup tonight for Game 3 between the Pistons and Cavs. His younger brother, Justin, died after battling complications from a 1997 heart transplant. The "I Am My Brother's Keeper" Hughes has tattooed on his neck was a tribute to him. He's back in St. Louis now. The funeral will be on Tuesday. Here's an article about it: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playof...ory?id=2443157

Condolences go out to Larry Hughes and his family.

Yeah, I read about Larry Hughes' brother. It's unfortunate.

The Cavaliers won one for him, though. Lebron came through huge in the fourth quarter, and finished with another triple-double.

http://www.nba.com/media/cavaliers/l...400_060513.jpg

Oh man, nice shot of that dunk. Yeah, the Cavs definitely won that one for Hughes. James took the game over in the 4th quarter. Yet another triple-double for him in this postseason..

The Mavs are up by 4 in the second quarter right now. Glad to see these games are getting closer.

More:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...G3-Pregame.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...-R2G3-Dunk.jpg


So yes, the Spurs closed that gap in a hurry. Should be a good second half.

OSNAP! Great finish in the Spurs-Mavs game. It came down to the wire and had a couple lead changes in the last minute or so. Dirk hit some big free throws late to give his team the victory. Duncan fouling out definitely didn't help the Spurs. Devon Harris had another great game for Dallas too. They are up 2-1 in the series now. Again, great game.

Also, great pics there, T-Wolf.

Was anyone else surprised at Stackhouse's last 2 free throws. Considering he has been in the NBA for 10 yrs, you would think he would remember to hit the basket. :eyebrow: They came through in the end luckily, 2 seconds is more than enough time to get a shot off, luckily no more time outs. Should be a good series overall now that it's 2-1 Mavs. :)

Oh man! Yeah, Stackhouse nearly cost his team the game, but they were able to pull it out. You expect more from an experienced, veteran player like that.

Thanks, I'll post good photos as I come across them :)


In addition to Duncan's fouling out, that late turnover between Horry and Ginobili really, really hurt them.

Stackhouse's deliberate freethrow miss didn't draw iron, and gave the Spurs another shot. Too bad the inbounds pass lob was nearly impossible to catch cleanly.


Dirk didn't hold back in the immediate post game interview with ABC. He said Stackhouse, being a 10-year vet, should've known to draw iron, and that he didn't know what the hell Stackhouse was thinking. Hahaha.

Man. The last games have been very close and the post-reports all make it seem very exciting. Too bad I've been in and out of labs all week. Hell, yo. I caught the end of the Dallas/SA game and that was fun. Even fucking Cleveland won... wtf. That's not happening again.