NBA Playoff Thread
- Thread starter lawyerman
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Were you even watching the game? Outplayed all game long? How about for the first five minutes only. The Spurs attacked the basket much more than the Lakers and outplayed them down the stretch.lawyerman said:
It was a terrible non-call - the worst that I can ever remember in fact.
Just so you know, I think Phil Jackson is the best coach ever and I like the Lakers and respect Kobe's single-mindedness and will to win, so this is not about favourites. I also really respect the Spurs, Popovich, Duncan, Manu and Parker and love their dedication to the team concept of basketball.
One thing I will say is that Manu Ginobili has been underperforming badly in this series - I think he's really hurt, because he's a big-game player. That's been the real difference in this series - if Manu had given them anything close to an average performance in games 1 and 4, the Spurs would probably be up 3-1.
The same holds true for all the Spurs' big 3 - plus Bowen. Which makes their extended run of excellence all the more impressive.guyroch said:
LOL! They can't start games in the afternoon out West just because old guys like you want to watch the game at 7pm on the East coast!guyroch said:
I should re-phrase my comment. The Lakers outplayed the Spurs most of the game. I don't remember the Spurs outplaying the Lakers much at all. They were trying to play catch-up but to no avail. By no means am I disrespecting the Spurs because I think Tim Duncan is probably the best power forward in the league and Parker is very underrated. The Lakers outrebounded the Spurs and the second chance scoring was a mismatch. The Lakers did find themselves in foul trouble but overcame that stretch.Herodotus said:
Please don't make Ginobli the difference maker. I don't know how badly he is injured after the stellar game he had in game three. He is an outstanding player and I don't take anything away from him but it's like saying if Odom played better in game 3, then the Lakers could have won game 3 and the series would be over.
Again, the last play of the game was brutal. In my opinion, it was a foul but there were many calls that were made and not made last night.
The Lakers jumped out to a fast start and outplayed the Spurs for the first half of the first quarter. After that, the play was even until the Spurs took over down the stretch.
The other problem with the Spurs is that they are getting no production out of the PF/C spot that plays off Duncan or act as his backup. Oberto has been pathetic, Kurt Thomas appears to be on his last legs and Big Shot Rob is done. The trio have combined to average 6.25 points, 6 rebounds, 1.25 assists, .75 steals and .75 blocks in 38 minutes/game of PF/C. Pathetic. Even their defence (man-to-man and within the team concept) hasn't been up to their usual standards.
I've heard of not bringing anything to the table, but this group is almost taking from the table...
The other problem with the Spurs is that they are getting no production out of the PF/C spot that plays off Duncan or act as his backup. Oberto has been pathetic, Kurt Thomas appears to be on his last legs and Big Shot Rob is done. The trio have combined to average 6.25 points, 6 rebounds, 1.25 assists, .75 steals and .75 blocks in 38 minutes/game of PF/C. Pathetic. Even their defence (man-to-man and within the team concept) hasn't been up to their usual standards.
I've heard of not bringing anything to the table, but this group is almost taking from the table...
Boston/Detroit tonight. Should be very interesting. Boston must rebound from that pathetic performance and I believe that they will. You never know what to expect from the Celtics. Detroit has such a strong team chemistry and always play tough. Any one of these four teams that are currently playing are different similar and different in many ways. I just find it interesting.
Celtics looked great for most of the game and then they almost give it away. You can never count the Pistons out. They came on like gangbusters and almost pulled it off. Tayshaun Prince has been disappointing the last three games. I wonder if he is playing hurt as all the talk has been surrounded by Billups who was his usual stellar self as well as Rip Hamilton.
It's great to see Ray Allen have an excellent game.
Kendrick Perkins had the game of his life and what can you say about KG. KG almost never disappoints. Personal opinion of course.
I believe the Lakers will wrap it up tonight even though I hope the series goes seven.
It's great to see Ray Allen have an excellent game.
Kendrick Perkins had the game of his life and what can you say about KG. KG almost never disappoints. Personal opinion of course.
I believe the Lakers will wrap it up tonight even though I hope the series goes seven.
The Spurs came out very strong last night in the first quarter and then it went all downhill from there. That was the second major collapse in the series for the Spurs. I thought they would be one of the few teams to hold on to a lead. The have such a great team concept and they are fundamentally sound. The Lakers just proved to have too much firepower.
Kobe was a one-man wrecking crew. He is phenomenal.
It's time for the Spurs to build around their big 3 as Duncan needs help and they also need to rebuild their bench and acquire some younger players.
The question about the Pistons is if Rip Hamilton will play tonight after he hurt his arm in game 5. If he is not able to go, I think the Pistons are done. He has been there best and most consistent player and I believe everyone wants to see two teams that play at their healthiest, most energetic best.
Kobe was a one-man wrecking crew. He is phenomenal.
It's time for the Spurs to build around their big 3 as Duncan needs help and they also need to rebuild their bench and acquire some younger players.
The question about the Pistons is if Rip Hamilton will play tonight after he hurt his arm in game 5. If he is not able to go, I think the Pistons are done. He has been there best and most consistent player and I believe everyone wants to see two teams that play at their healthiest, most energetic best.
Ahhh ... Another meaningless season for the Pistons. At least this year's shortcoming was to the best team during the regular season as opposed to the fluke ridden or referee assisted. At least it's the end to the Flip era and good riddance. Time for The Bad Boys to return to the NBA after far too long seasoning in the WNBA.
It helps when Boston acquires two future Hall of Fame players. This will be a very tough series to predict.guyroch said:
Now we will have to wait until Thursday for the Finals to start.
If they started on Sunday, then they could have games 1, 4 and 7 (if necessary) on Sundays and that would definitely bring out the most viewers.But that would only make sense.
The schedule for the Finals is absolutely asinine.
I understand that they have to change to a 2-3-2 format instead of the 2-2-1-1-1- format because of travel.
Thu, Jun 05 L.A. Lakers Boston 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Sun, Jun 08 L.A. Lakers Boston 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Tue, Jun 10 Boston L.A. Lakers 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Thu, Jun 12 Boston L.A. Lakers 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Sun, Jun 15 (if necessary) Boston L.A. Lakers 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Tue, Jun 17 (if necessary) L.A. Lakers Boston 9:00 PM ET ABC --
Thu, Jun 19 (if necessary) L.A. Lakers Boston 9:00 PM ET ABC --
My schedule would be as follows:
Sun Jun 1 - Boston
Tue Jun 3 - Boston
Thu Jun 5 - LA
Sun Jun 8- LA
Tue Jun 10 - LA
Fri Jun 13 - Boston
Sun Jun 15 Boston
With my schedule, the NBA would get receive a guaranteed two Sundays (the prime day for television) with a possibility for a third and gives them that extra day for travel during games 5 and 6.
The only thing is that there is a WNBA game on June 6th in LA.
LOL. The Bruins are the only ones at the moment that are not holding their end of the bargain. They need some help.blueline said:Yes, however, there is still one championship that has eluded them. World Hot Dog Eating Championship. Boston needs someone to take down that Kobayashi guy.
Let's get back to basketball shall we?
My mind says Lakers but my heart is going for the Celtics. This is going to be a great series.
And got it! Lakers will prevail in the Finals. They played the better teams, and Kobe is on his game. Ray Allen has struggled. It probably goes 7 games though.friendz4evr said:
Easy with the extreme comments, Bill Walton.lawyerman said:
The networks, who are determining things such as these (like they did for the 2-3-2 format and not necessarily because of team travel) clearly have more experience in this than you do.
Loads of prep required to produce an NBA Finals. Two days to do so would be ludacris especially since you don't know who the opponents are until now. And just because you are following the playoffs and watching them doesn't necessarily mean everyone else is. Two days would cripple their ability to market and hype the NBA's final product for maximum viewership. A guaranteed two Sundays also has less rhythm to a series as it forces large two-day breaks between home games.
