The 2005-2006 NBA Season Discussion Thread

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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 was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

OH MAH GOODNESS.

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

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

FELIPE NO

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.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

- 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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

- 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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

- 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.

- 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!!

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

.... Who?!?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

- 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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

- Iguodala dunks good.

He sure as hell does.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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

Most amazing jew boots

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I personally don't like the Nets

heh, I wonder why... lol :P

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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...

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I mean, this could scare small children.

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

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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".

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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".

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Okay, this is funny.



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

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I like how Korver could barely get up.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

How ya doing, buddy?