I had trouble sleeping after seeing the end to the Lakers game. Oh well -- we shall see "home" in LA...
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
NBA Playoff thread 2012
- Thread starter Chris Fitzgerald
- Start date
2 things: i will be most pleased when the playoffs are rid of the lakers, mavericks and heat. 2 down, 1 to go. the sooner the better.
also, the spurs are in the midst of some kinda crazy run. yowzah, so help me. yowzah.
also, the spurs are in the midst of some kinda crazy run. yowzah, so help me. yowzah.
Ugly game for the Heat. Chalmers was brilliant and James was good for most of the game. Nobody else showed up. The Pacers played team ball, and Hibbert played a great game.
As far as handling the press, James does a really admirable job in postgame interviews after losses, as does Spoelstra. Wade comes off like a petulant child after a loss. His meltdown on the sidelines was ugly and uncomfortable to watch even for a Pacers fan.
As for the Spurs, those guys are putting on a ball movement clinic in almost every game. OKC might be able to beat them if they play great D and get a lot of runouts, but the Spurs would absolutely crush the Lakers at this point... which is probably moot by the look of it.
As far as handling the press, James does a really admirable job in postgame interviews after losses, as does Spoelstra. Wade comes off like a petulant child after a loss. His meltdown on the sidelines was ugly and uncomfortable to watch even for a Pacers fan.
As for the Spurs, those guys are putting on a ball movement clinic in almost every game. OKC might be able to beat them if they play great D and get a lot of runouts, but the Spurs would absolutely crush the Lakers at this point... which is probably moot by the look of it.
I watched Game 2 of Spurs/Clippers last night, and the thing that most struck me about the Spurs' offense was how long it's been since I've seen a game where that many shots actually went in!
Just watched the Celtics-Sixers game and I realized why I don't like the current Celtics. Since this team was put together the league has allowed them to play under a different set of rules than the rest of the league. Especially if there's any chance they're going to play Sterns darlings the Lakers in the finals.
Hand checking is illegal period, sorry KG, Pierce, Rondo and Allen, it's not great defense if your grabbing the dribbler in front of you. But the Sixers beat them up anyway. I get the feeling no matter who comes out of the East they are going to be sacrificial lambs for the Thunder or Spurs regardless.
Hand checking is illegal period, sorry KG, Pierce, Rondo and Allen, it's not great defense if your grabbing the dribbler in front of you. But the Sixers beat them up anyway. I get the feeling no matter who comes out of the East they are going to be sacrificial lambs for the Thunder or Spurs regardless.
Some guys at the studio yesterday were talking about what a bunch of wusses the NBA has turned into with the overly-protective rules about physical contact...they were lamenting the days when guys would fight for position; literally fight for position!
I gotta say, I thought there were way too many unnecessary fouls called in that Celtics-Sixers game last night, not too few. (Of course, if there hadn't been, the final score would've been something like 30-26.)
The Celts were horrible in the second half last night: old, slow, sloppy, and with absolutely nothing coming from the bench. Ray Allen looks spent, nothing left in the tank. Didn't catch the Lakers game, but kudos to them for bucking up and making it a series.
One thing that caught my eye ala "Stevie Wonders" is some of the foul calls in the OKC @ Lakers game. The first two or three against Harden were very ticky tack, but I think they may have been make-up calls, but maybe that's just the Laker fan in me. But before we say "the game is rigged," look at the obvious Durant back court violation that the refs just simply missed.
It would be much easier to focus on the game if the rules stayed more consistent on what will be called.
It would be much easier to focus on the game if the rules stayed more consistent on what will be called.
Not on the C's, they didn't even get to the Bonus in the fourth despite the fact they were sending the Sixers to the line to get the ball back. Ever since the Garnett era stated in Boston, Bostons outside defenders have been able to hand check and not get called. Again it is illegal to hand check a player on the outside trying to dribble drive. It's also illegal to grab a player to slow him down as he's curling on a pick.
When the Pistons won the Title in 04 they held teams to under 70 points for 19 games in a row down the stretch. After the season the rules committee changed the rules because guards and small forwards would hand check to slow down wing players trying to penetrate. It is illegal to use your hands on outside defense now. But that Boston team since the Garnett trade and A few select players (Lebron and Wade) still do it routinely and never get called.
I remember watching Boston, I believe in 06 or 07 and all the commentators were talking about their physical defense. I watched them and I guess by physical defense they mean, they get away with a lot of fouls.
I don't think I've encountered an NBA fanbase as rabid as I have the Spurs. Just mentioning I went to OU at the same time as Blake Griffin was enough to start arguments and question my "Spurs loyalty." (of which I have none, btw)
On the other hand, THUNDER UP
On the other hand, THUNDER UP
thanks! of course i prefer to think of it as intellectualized loyalty, but "rabid" is fine too.
i'll just leave this here...: Invalid Link Removed
Lots of broken hearts in LA today, Clippers up 24 and lose to the Spurs by 10, and the Lakers up 13 in the fourth lose to the Thunder. The Spurs look unbeatable, the Thunder are gaining confidence, while the Clips look inexperienced, and the Lakers Old. Now if only the Pacers can put down the Heat tomorrow.
I don't really have a team but I'm kinda leaning towards the Thunder, but San Antonio looks tough. It would be nice not to have one of Sterns ordained love children winning the title.
I don't really have a team but I'm kinda leaning towards the Thunder, but San Antonio looks tough. It would be nice not to have one of Sterns ordained love children winning the title.
As a long time Clipper fan, back to their Sports Arena days when the stadium was so empty you could buy the cheap seats and then move down to near the front row at this point their season is like the small college who made it to the Final Four for the first time. Even if the Spurs sweep, it is a successful season, much better then expected when Billups was lost for the season. .
The Lakers on the other hand are like UCLA or Kentucky. They don't count Final Four appearances, it is the ring or nothing. Laker nation is talking about breaking up the team.
Lakers choked, and now Kobe's playing the blame game. He had at least three epic "bait-and-tangleflop" moments and got calls on all of them, and the announcers caught every one of them even as the refs took the bait. He played a brilliant game for three quarters, then went 2 for 10 in the fourth, and somehow the fault lies with his teammates for the 4th quarter collapse. Typical. Sure, Pau made a bad pass. But Kobe went 1 for 9 if you take away the meaningless jumper at the end. The real story is that OKC changed their interior defense in the 2nd half and it paid off. I'll be checking out Monday's game for sure.
The Spurs are playing beautiful ball. Watching their offense is like a magician manipulate a deck of cards. The ball rotates and rotates, getting the defense further and further out of alignment until somebody is open. What was the stat, something like 28 assists on 35 made baskets? Brilliant. I feel kind of bad for the Clips, but can't help but like what they are doing and wonder if anyone can stop them. I can't see anybody from the east competing with the Spurs or OKC in the finals.
The Spurs are playing beautiful ball. Watching their offense is like a magician manipulate a deck of cards. The ball rotates and rotates, getting the defense further and further out of alignment until somebody is open. What was the stat, something like 28 assists on 35 made baskets? Brilliant. I feel kind of bad for the Clips, but can't help but like what they are doing and wonder if anyone can stop them. I can't see anybody from the east competing with the Spurs or OKC in the finals.
Yep, I'm not down on the Clippers in any way. And Billups veteran leadership is hugely missed, no doubt. They are just too young and inexperienced in pressure situations. I suspect they will be in the think of the hunt next year.
The Lakers should be breaking it up. And if that means trading Kobe I'd do it. His act is getting a bit old. There is no doubt in my mind that he's been the best player in the game since Jordan retired, but there is also no doubt in my mind that he never had the competitive fire or leadership qualities of Jordan, or for that matter, Bird, Johnson, or Isaiah.
Sadly, I think Kobe is symptomatic of the most of the NBA's stars. He never had been about team or winning as much as he's been about Kobe. His comments about not taking charges was a perfect example of it. While he is a winner and a competitor, the sell out for the title mentality is gone from the NBA. Will it emerge with a Kevin Durrant or some new star hopefully, obviously the "King" is still a prince so it ain't coming from there.
