The 2005-2006 NBA Season Discussion Thread

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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 was speaking idiomatically.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by nazpyro

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

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?

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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 . 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! Watching him get his points and his team still lose is priceless.... classic, even!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Sixers got pounded by the Heat tonight.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by a_naz

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.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

FELIPE NO

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.

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

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

Most amazing jew boots

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

But all eyes on Lebron once again tonight.

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?!

FELIPE NO

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

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

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Rollins

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.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by nazpyro

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.

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! )

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