[Tournament] The 2006-2007 NBA Season Discussion Thread

T-Wolf, you're the man. Now, I can relive that unforgettable night anytime I want to. Thanks again.


Also, a couple things that stood out for me from last night's games:

1) The Nuggets finally got their first win of the season after beating Philly. Carmelo had a very nice game with 31 points.

2) The Lakers got straight UP beat DOWN by Pistons, and the Pistons didn't even have Rip in their lineup. Kobe Bryant had 19 points but it was a very quiet 19. The Lakers lost by 14, but going by the way they performed, they should have lost by 40. Maybe this is a sign that the Pistons are starting to return to form in the post-Ben Wallace era.

3) Even though Miami won last night over the Nets, they really look like a tired, aging team. They were out-played and out-hustled most of the night. Richard Jefferson's injury... and D-Wade's 34 points... is what got them over the hump. For Wade, it has been a long year. He's pretty much had no break at all with win the title and playing in the basketball championships. I hope he doesn't break down.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Yeah, there have been a lot of suprising developments so far in this young season. Atlanta, Portland and New Orleans starting off so well... Dallas, Phoenix and Denver starting off so poorly. As the season progresses, though, things will start to even out. Both the contenders and pretenders will show themselves.

If Yao keeps playing the way he has been, it will help out McGrady in a huge way. Yao looks like he's finally becoming that dominant force many of his critics thought they'd never see. Many felt that he didn't have the attitude or mindset to be a dominating big man, but so far, he's proven the doubters wrong.

And, for the record, I'm glad you uploaded the entire game. Seeing it all from beginning to end makes you appreciate the end result even more. It's like Jordan's shot in Game 6 of the '98 Finals. Everyone talks about the shot itself, but seeing the whole game and his steal at the end to get to that point, make it even more incredible.

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

Originally Posted by nazpyro

What also could've been legendary but instead was just outright ridiculous? I just finished watching the Jazz/Bucks game. Michael Redd out of THE Ohio State University went off for 57 points and missed a game-winning three as time expired. The whole end was ridiculous. If Redd tied it or won it, it would've been LEGENDARY.

What? Are you telling me Redd had a chance to get 60 points off of a game-winning 3-pointer... AND MISSED!? Oh man, that just negates his 57 points right now man. The Jazz have been good this year so far, so I'll let him slide a bit on this.

Also, LeBron and Friends overcame a 25-point defecit to beat the Celtics tonight, 94-93. The Cavs needed every single one of Bron-Bron's 38 points to pull that one out.

.... umm... and the Pistons are getting schooled by Golden State. It's 47-26 late in the second quarter. So much for Detroit returning to form.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Yao shines in yet another dominant performance -- this time against Shaq -- leading the Rockets to a blowout win with 34 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists. He shot 12-13 from the line.

T-Mac is really taking a backseat at this point. He's getting his shots, but he's just not making them. He'll find his groove, sooner or later.

Yeah, Yao is really doing some work this season. I think McGrady will turn things around. He missed a lot of last season so it'll take him some time to find his stroke again, but he will. I'm actually suprised that Yao is doing so well since he missed quite a bit of time last year too. He needs to keep it up until T-Mac finds his way. If both of them are struggling, the Rockets don't have a chance.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Ryuu

Best center in the league?

Yeah, he is. But that's not really saying a whole lot, though. With Shaq in the twilight of his career, there aren't very many dominant centers in the game. It's a guard's game now. But Yao is definitely one of the top 10, maybe even top 5, players in the league right now.

Most amazing jew boots

Nice picks there. The only thing that was different in my picks is that I put Chris Paul as a starter instead of Steve Nash. He's having a better season thus far AND I'd much rather see him right now than Nash. No disrespect to Nash, of course. I'm gonna try and vote everyday too.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

The vacuum sound you hear nowadays in Madison Square Garden is Stephon Marbury sucking.

Maaaaaan, you aren't kidding. You know, I thought the team would be at least a little better this year. I figured they'd perform better, if nothing else, to spite Larry Brown. But, it seems like they are even worse this season. "Starbury" has been a joke his whole career to me. When Phoenix traded Jason Kidd for this clown, I was like "shiiiiiiit, you some dumb motherfuckas!" ugh! I can't stand that dude. .... UGH!!!

How ya doing, buddy?

Wow the Rockets, over the last couple games, have let huge leads slip away. They had a huge lead on the Spurs and ended up losing. Last night, they had a 21-point lead against the Bulls, and were only able to win by one point. The Rockets have some serious issues when it comes to closing teams out.

Also, sucks for the Nuggets that Kenyon Martin is out for the year.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

The loss of K-Mart will hurt Denver a bit. Who else is injured ... Larry Hughes' injury was more serious than first diagnosed, and will be out at least two games. Bucks' Villanueva will be out a few weeks. Darius Miles needs another surgery and is out for the season.

And Chris Webber just want out.

How can you forget about The Diesel, man? :P He's gonna miss 4-6 after having knee surgery. In the two games since he's been out, the Heat have gotten blown out by the Knicks and barely gotten by the Hawks.

Steve Nash missed tonight's game against the Jazz because of back spams. Hopefully it isn't anything too serious.

Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to score 17,000 points against the Raptors on Friday. I'm sure you guys remember the last time he played the Raptors he scored 81 points, but in Friday's game, he ONLY scored 31 points. PFFT! Scrub!!

And, I think word is getting out: Gilbert Arenas is a pretty good player. 45 points tonight in a victory over the Cavs which ended their 5-game winning streak.

How ya doing, buddy?

I had no idea the Jazz would rebound this quickly after the departures of Stockton and Malone. Those two had been such a fixture on that team, I thought it woudl take the organization SEVERAL years to get back on track. But, the brass and Jerry Sloan have done an excellent job in the draft over the last couple years. Big ups to the organization for keeping Sloan around too. He's definitely my early pick for Coach of the Year.

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

I'm tellin' ya man, this Utah Jazz team ain't one to mess with. Best team in the league right now, by far.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I can't believe how this is their best start in franchise history, besting even all those years of Stockton and Malone.

It really is amazing. But, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. Some of these other teams that started well out of the gate like Atlanta, Philly and Portland are starting to falter. Not saying Utah will end up like that, but just because they've started off well doesn't make them a lock to make waves in May and June.

They're definitely turning heads right now, though. Jerry Sloan is doing a heck of a coaching job.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Very true ... just look at Dallas. After a 0-4 start, they've won eight straight, including a win against the Spurs just a few hours ago. The Mavericks are the hottest team right out outside of Utah.

Even though they won yet again tonight, I don't see Utah staying in first place for long. Teams are taking notice, and they'll get up to play the Jazz. Carlos Boozer won't be putting up those numbers when he starts seeing double-teams on every possession, or every time he catches the ball.

Yeah, I'm not suprised with this quick turnaround by Dallas at all. They brought in some new faces that needed to gell. Now that that is starting to happen, they are firing on all cylinders.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Allen Iverson returned -- from a tooth situation, of all things -- to the lineup and poured in 46 points to beat the Bulls. Ben Wallace had ZERO rebounds in that game.

wtf? ZERO rebounds. That part jumped out at me even more than Iverson's 46. Did you see that game, btw? Does he look out of sorts, or what? No rebounds... that's like... never happened to him before.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Gilbert Arenas was held to THREE points -- on 1-12 shooting -- by Memphis.

k... several posts ago, I was ready to call this guy a star player, now I'm beginning to take that back. If you want to be a superstar in this league, you've gotta play well on the road. So far this season, he is playing HORRIBLE away from home. nazpyro touched on this earlier as well, I think.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Carmelo Anthony is leading the league in scoring, at 31.0 points going into the game against the Warriors, where he put up another 30. (I know it's early, but who do y'all think will win the scoring title this year? I still think when all is said and done, it will be Allen Iverson.)

Melo's Nuggets, surprisingly, are the highest scoring team in the NBA so far, averaging 108.3. They scored 140 tonight against the Warriors.

With the injury to Kenyon Martin, I think it's a real possibility that 'Melo could win the scoring title this year. Iversion is going to be right there, but by the end of the season, I think Anthony will edge him out.

Yeah, the scoring barrage the Nuggets are on is amazing. That game versus the Warriors last night was VERY fun to watch. It was like a throwback mid-80's game. I really miss those days.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

I didn't see the game, I just saw the boxscore and was stunned. The Bulls are tied for last in their division right now at 4-9, and apparently there's a storm brewing behind the scenes in Chicago:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...nba/index.html
and
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...tes/index.html



I don't understand why a coach would disallow playes to wear headbands. Scott Skiles seems to have his priorities mixed up. Jerry Sloan also disallows headbands in Utah, and I just don't get it.

See, I had a feeling something like this would happen. Maybe, not to this extent, but something similar. Wallace should have stayed in Detroit. He was a perfect fit for that team and probably won't get that type of chemistry ever again. I don't know what issues he and Flip Saunders had, but they both should have tried harder to work things out. Both parties, the Pistons and Wallace, are suffering because of it right now.

And man, I don't even know what to say about this Atlantic division. I mean, SOMEBODY has to come out of it.... right? I figure the Nets will get it together enough and make it out on top. On paper, they are the best team in the division, and I use the word "best" very loosely. The Sixers started off nicely and have since crept back into mediocrity. This is probably the worst division in sports.

The Warriors have been playing great ball lately. A lot of that is due to Baron Davis. He's a hell of player and a great point guard. Still, there's no team hotter than Dallas right now. After losing their first 4 games, they have bounced back to win 10 friggen straight. Coach 'em up Avery, coach 'em up!

FELIPE NO

Wallace actually had a pretty solid game last night in a victory over the Knicks. 8 points, 12 boards, 2 dimes, 2 steals and 2 blocks. This was against the Knicks though, so we might not be able to read TOO much into it.

Nice vid of AI's game. That crossover was pretty hot. Even into his 30's, Iverson still can break ankles like nobody's business.

We were talking about how terrible the Atlantic division was. Well, here's an article discussing how atrocious the Eastern Conference is as a whole: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...simmons/061129

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

I just knew these decisions and changes would come back to bite the league in their ass. Not one player in the Association has had one nice thing to say about the new ball. And, as far as the stricter officiating goes, I think it's BS. They might as well name the rule after the Rasheed Wallace. I don't know what's gonna come from all this, but I am in favor of the lawsuit and I think it was a just move.

How ya doing, buddy?

Damn, man, I wish I could have seen that game in it's entirety. That's one thing I really hate abuot the current state of the league. They just don't have games like that anymore. On Sportscenter this morning, they showed a graphic of the top scoring games in NBA history, and pretty much all of them were in the 80's... the golden age.

Hopefully, this'll be on ESPN Classic sometime soon.

Double Post:
OH SNAP!!!!!!!

Iverson has wanted a trade for quite sometime now but I never thought it would actually happen. Things are starting to look that way though. Watching how this all pans out is going to be interesting as hell.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

You won't have to wait that long.

I'm going to upload it for you guys . It might take me a day or two, though.




I heard about this today as well. Rumours and discussions will heat up this weekend. There's a chance that we've seen AI play his last game as a Sixer (that blowout loss to Chicago ... he got back spasms and didn't play in the fourth quarter).

Double Post:
The game is broken into five parts (first quarter, second quarter, third quarter, fourth quarter, overtime periods):

Suns at Nets - December 7th, 2006 - 1st Quarter: http://www.mediafire.com/?0nddtmnnjnt
Suns at Nets - December 7th, 2006 - 2nd Quarter: http://www.mediafire.com/?amcylqk2g1z
Suns at Nets - December 7th, 2006 - 3rd Quarter: http://www.mediafire.com/?8zgr5wddyxu
Suns at Nets - December 7th, 2006 - 4th Quarter: http://www.mediafire.com/?an0mynmzugy
Suns at Nets - December 7th, 2006 - Overtime(s): http://www.mediafire.com/?bo3m2mmkzod

Enjoy

Dude, you're the man. This is awesome! I'm downloading it now.

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

I'm glad to see they are going back to the new ball. While league scoring and FG% stats are pretty much the same as last year, the difference can be seen with the increase in turnovers from last year. I think Stern has made the right, smart decision here.

Also, congrats to Jerry Sloan. With last night's victory over the Mavs, he became only the 5th coach to reach 1,000 victories. Even though the Jazz hit a rough spot for a bit, they have rebounded and still have the best record in the league.

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

I haven't heard anyone mentioning that Minnesota could be a possible destination for Iverson, although I think it'd be great for both him and KG. The two possible teams I've heard about are the Pacers and Nuggets. The Pacers are probably more likely since they have a lot more young talent that they can put on the bargaining table. Also, AI has said that he would like playing in Indiana.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I tell ya... the Knicks are so bad right now, they'll do just about anything to get some attention, huh? That was a wild one. Carmelo has been playing so well and just had taken the league scoring lead from A.I. I'm suprised he lost control and jumped into the melee.

EDIT:

and LOL @ some of the comments about this vid on Youtube.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The Suns have won 14 straight games.... damn!

Gilbert Arenas droppd 60 on the Lakers in a winning effort.... DAYUM!

Yeah, nobody wants to fight in the NBA. 90% of the time a fight breaks out, the people involved just swing wildly like sissies, not connecting or even trying to connect. ....and then you have those that hit and run.

FELIPE NO

Right move, at the right time for both teams I think. Philly really lucked out because I didn't think they'd get anything in return that would equal the value of Iverson, but they did, pretty much. Denver, with the absence of Anthony, are getting Iverson just in time. For both teams it's addition by subtaction, and I think each team came out on the winning end of this deal.

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

Now it seems that Iverson says he never demanded a trade. Check this article out: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2704221

Also, the Utah Jazz overcame a 21-point deficit in the 4th quarter last night to beat the Hawks 112-106. The Hawks are a terrible team, but that is still one serious meltdown.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Iverson got his first win as a Nugget last night. 28 points and 13 assists in a 116-105 victory over the Celtics. A.I. has always been a great ball distributer but has never had a real opportunity to show that in Philly. Now that he has much better players around him, he'll be able to showcase that skill much more.

You can add Chris Paul to the growing list of those getting injured. He's projected to miss anywhere between 2 and 4 games after an ankle injury last night in a loss to the Supersonics. New Orleans has been hit hard by injuries this year. Peja is probably going to miss the entire season with his back trouble, and David West and Bobby Jackson have also been missing considerable time.

How ya doing, buddy?