The 2005-2006 NBA Season Discussion Thread

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Are they friends.

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

I was speaking idiomatically.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

So the Kings are letting Adelman go.

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by RockgamerXIII

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.

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.

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

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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

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

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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

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.

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

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

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.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

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.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by T1249NTSCJ

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.

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

Pretty good games last night, especially the Suns-Clippers game. The Clippers had a sizeable lead in the 4th quarter, then the Suns reeled off a 12-0 run and had the lead cut to just one. But then SAM I AM took the game over and catapulted the Clips to the victory and a 2-2 series with Phoenix. Steve Nash and Shawn Marion didn't play very well. Nash only had 8 points on 3-11 shooting and Marion only had 14 points. If it weren't for Raja Bell and Boris Diaw coming up huge, the Suns wouldn't have even been in the game.

The Heat took a grasp on their series with the Nets after beating them 102-92 in Game 4. Miami now has a 3-1 lead in the series. Antoine Walker, Udonis Haslem and Dwayne Wade all had 20+ points. Even though the Nets made a run in the 4th, J. Kidd's triple double wasn't enough, as the Heat pulled away in the end. Gary Payton hit a big 3-pointer late under pressure to seal the deal. As we saw in the Lakers-Suns series, it's not over till it's over, but I think the Heat will close the door on the Nets in Game 5.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ladies and gentlemen, the GuaranSHEED WAS NOT FULFILLED!! Rasheed Wallace had a horrible shooting night AND he got hurt (nothing serious though). But, LeBron James and the Cavs pulled off an incredible victory last night. The Pistons couldn't hit the ocean in the 4th quarter. They looked.... mortal. The Cavs have nothing to lose in this series and everything to gain, so they are totally playing that way. The Pistons will still win this series, but they need to get a reality check FAST!

The Mavs will now win this series over the Spurs now. Last night's game was the key for Dallas. Now that they garnered that victory, and have a 3-1 lead in the series, San Antonio seems to be up the creek without a paddle. The Spurs are the champs until they are taken out, but I do feel that the end is near.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The Miami Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight season last night. This is Pat Riley's first trip to the Eastern Finals in 9 years when the Bulls owned him in 5 games. Now, who will be joining them there? The Pistons are favored of course, but I think tonight's game will decide who wins this series. If the Cavs win tonight IN Detroit, I think they take the series. However, I don't think that will happen. I'm sure the Pistons will show a sense of urgency and win this game convincingly tonight... then close the series out back in Cleveland.

The Suns-Clippers series has been very entertaining to watch. I definitely hope that this goes 7 games.

The defending champs are in a must-win situation tonight. Can they overcome their injuries and use their playoff experience to fight their way back into their series? We'll find out tonight.

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The Spurs lived to play another day behind Tim Duncan's huge game last night. The guy had 28 points at halftime, hitting his first 12 shots, and finished with 36 points. Parker came up big too with 27 points. Even though they lost, the Mavs are still in the driver's seat. They have to feel confident that they are still up in the series and only lost by one point in arguably the toughest building to play in. Dallas NEEDS to win Game 6 though. If they don't, Spurs will take it.

I'll be damned, I can't believe what I'm seeing in the Pistons-Cavs series. The Pistons are not playing like their usual experienced, veteran selves. Chauncey Billups fouls out and Rasheed Wallace gets a costly technical foul in the game. This is the first time all year that Detroit has lost 3 games in a row. Their offense has become quite anemic as well. The Pistons are a superb road team though so this series is far from over. They really need to find their swagger.... quick!

Also, the All-NBA teams have been annoucned:

2005-06 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM
Position Player, Team 1st Points
Forward LeBron James, Cleveland (116) 610
Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (105) 584
Center Shaquille O’Neal, Miami (45) 402
Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (110) 597
Guard Steve Nash, Phoenix (106) 583


2005-06 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM
Position Player, Team 1st Points
Forward Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers (15) 309
Forward Tim Duncan, San Antonio (17) 277
Center Ben Wallace, Detroit (44) 363
Guard Chauncey Billups, Detroit (21) 378
Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (13) 373


2005-06 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM
Position Player, Team 1st Points
Forward Shawn Marion, Phoenix (4) 270
Forward Carmelo Anthony, Denver 97
Center Yao Ming, Houston (30) 261
Guard Allen Iverson, Philadelphia (1) 104
Guard Gilbert Arenas, Washington 79 79

LeBron Jams led all recipients with the most first-place votes, followed by Kobe Bryant, then Steve Nash.

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

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

A lot of players deserving on this year's All-NBA Teams. But...


Iverson should be higher than the 3rd Team.

Duncan should be lower than the 2nd Team. He had his worst individual season of his career. If it weren't for Parker, the Spurs wouldn't have been as good as they've been this season. A case can be made that Duncan probably shouldn't even be on the list at all. That spot should've been given to Shawn Marion, Carmelo Anthony, or Kevin Garnett.

To play devil's advocate, the reason for Duncan's "decline" can also be contributed to the acquisitions of guys like Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel. Alos, seeing how well Parker was playing, Popovich may have wanted to give him more plays and such in the offense. But trust, without Duncan, the Spurs would be nothing. He deserves to be on the 3rd team, at least. Carmelo's ineffectiveness in the playoffs probably hindered him from getting on either the 2nd or 1st team. They may say that these awards are for the regular season, but since these things come out after the playoffs have started, I'm sure some voters look at that as well.

Kevin Garnett had another stellar year, as usual. He didn't get as high because of how bad his team was this year. It's crazy, really. The guy turns 30 tomorrow. It only seems like yesterday that he was coming out of college. As much as you may disagree or go against it T-Wolf, I really hope the Timberwolves do the right thing and trade him this summer. He's done all he can do for that franchise. When it comes right down to it, the management didn't do a good enough job of putting guys around him to make a championship team. So, please move him and start rebuilding. He's a humble, devoted, class act. I don't want him to finish his career without a ring.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I just knew the Suns-Clippers series was gonna go 7 games. Right now, it's a toss up for me as to who I think will win. Being that there will be 3 days between now and Game 7, Nash will have some time to re-charge. He looked totally gassed out last night. Quinton Ross was completely abusing him down on the block. Elton Brand had a stellar game as usual. I dunno.... I have no idea who to take in Game 7.

Two HUGE games tonight. Both Finals representatives from last year are trying to stave off elimination. Not having Jason Terry in the lineup is a huge loss for the Mavs. I still think they have enough to win without him though. I'm more interested in the Pistons-Cavs game. All year, Detroit has been the team to beat, now they're looking like a JV team out there. If the Cavs can find a way to win, it would be one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.

Originally Posted by bishop743

It only seems like yesterday that he was coming out of college.

I made a mistake. I meant to say "out of high school" there. My bad.

Happy Birthday to KG!

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Now that the Spurs are back in this series and have forced a Game 7, I think they will take the series now. I thought the injuries would be too much for them to overcome, but they have really shown their fortitude and playoff experience in these past two games. The Spurs are my pick to win that game.

Also, the Pistons really showed their toughness against Cleveland last night. They only had 3 offensive rebounds in the first 3 quarters of that game but added 8 more in the 4th quarter. That Detroit crowd is gonna be HOSTILE on Sunday. I can't wait. I hope the Pistons blow the Cavs out.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Aw, Game 7 blowouts are never fun for me to watch ... it's like anti-climactic.

I want the three Game 7's to be tightly contested and down-to-the-wire

heh, sorry bro, doesn't look like you're gonna get your wish. :P It turned into a blowout late in the game. LeBron James has been horrible in the second half.

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

The Pistons are a juggernaut, but if they play against the Heat the way they did against the Cavs, they won't be making it to their 3rd straight NBA Final. What's amazing is, since 2003, the Pistons are 11-1 in playoff elimination games. That one loss, of course, coming at the hands of the Spurs in Game 7 of the finals last year (a game that they should have won, btw). That's an incredible stat. As far as LeBron James goes, he had a great rookie playoff campaign.

Tonight's Game 7 matchups are surely going to be more exciting and entertaining. I still don't know who to take in the Suns-Clippers game, but I'm pretty confident that the Spurs will defeat the Mavs tonight. Even with Jason Terry back in the Dallas lineup, I think the experience and savvy of that San Antonio team will pay huge dividends for them down the stretch tonight.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I love the TNT crew. They all bring great chemistry to the broadcast. Also, I really like that Charles Barkley is brutally honest and outspoken with his opinions. Very few announcers, broadcasters, reporters, ect. are like that.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Goubot

On the flip side, I also think Bill Walton is really funny. Sure, he's a dumbass, but he's mostly around for entertainment value. His use of exaggeration is great. "That was the worst pass in the history of Western civilization!"
"That was the best dunk in the history of this franchise!", etc

haha, yeah Bill Walton is hilarous at times. I also crack up when he uses his trademark "HORRRRRRRRRIBLE!!!". Hubie Brown and Doug Collins are very knowledgeable of the game and they are great as commentators. Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller are getting pretty good as well. I miss John Thompson though.

Jim Huber's features are nice as well.

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

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

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

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

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

I was speaking idiomatically.