Woot! Celtics
Now we just need the Lakers to finish up with the Suns.
Thank you, Thank you! *takes a bow
If the suns pull through, I'm going for them. Considering how we hold the most championships, and they have 0... yeah
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NBA Playoffs
- Thread starter ChiliPepper
- Start date
Thank you, Thank you! *takes a bow
If the suns pull through, I'm going for them. Considering how we hold the most championships, and they have 0... yeah
Thank you, Thank you! *takes a bow
If the suns pull through, I'm going for them. Considering how we hold the most championships, and they have 0... yeah
But the Suns have Charles Barkley as an alumni, and he's one of the best players to ever touch a ball...
Thank you Boston......again!!!
I've about had it with Orlando and that group of wannabes.
-Mike
I've about had it with Orlando and that group of wannabes.
-Mike
Bite me.
...ouch.
Tommy, PM me where to send it...
Congrats to the Celtics, they were the better team.
GO SUNS!!!
Certainly not from the Celtic perspective. But I'm a bit biased.
I was watching with some friends and we (well mostly me) were so loud that we weren't paying attention to the announcers - who I think have done a very good job. Nelson got into early foul trouble but I don't recall if there was any problem with those calls. There seemed to be less complaining about calls by both teams - not sure if that is because it was reffed better or if both coaches told their guys to focus on playing the game and don't complain about calls.
The Celtic D was working hard - Orlando was not getting as many open 3's and when they did they were not draining them at the otherworldly rate they did in Game 5.
The team is pretty focused, they understand that if they want to be counted among the great Celtic teams they need more than one ring. The Cowens-Jo Jo White team earned two, the original Big 3 won three, and the legendary Bill Russell-led teams won 11.
Orlando, is not wannabe's but they are a very incomplete team in an era of incomplete teams. They badly need another big body (a REAL four) to take some rebounding and post defense pressure off of Howard.
Howard, while a very good player needs to get his foul shooting and post defensive footwork up to par to become a GREAT player. In the next two years we will find out if he is just another great athletic talent or if he has the dedication it takes to be a true championship leader. Shaq, never got any better, and he couldn't win anything without Kolbe or Duane Wade. Hell he couldn't even win with Lebron.
They need to get rid of either Vince Carter or Rashad Lewis (preferebly Lewis). They will not win with both of those contracts especially since Lewis is terribly overmatched in the slower pace of the playoffs at his position. Neither work hard on D, and neither hit clutch shots or make good decisions with the ball when it counts. They could win with one guy like that, but not two.
They need a backup point Guard. They can win with Nelson, although Rondo schooled him and he still makes a lot of mistakes. But they can't win with Nelson alone at the point. And Jayson No D Williams is not the answer.
They have some keepers. No doubt Riddick could become a very good two guard in their system. Bass, Gorat , and Pietras, aren't bad on the bench. And Howard certainly could become the most dominating big man since Shaq in his prime.
Howard, while a very good player needs to get his foul shooting and post defensive footwork up to par to become a GREAT player. In the next two years we will find out if he is just another great athletic talent or if he has the dedication it takes to be a true championship leader. Shaq, never got any better, and he couldn't win anything without Kolbe or Duane Wade. Hell he couldn't even win with Lebron.
They need to get rid of either Vince Carter or Rashad Lewis (preferebly Lewis). They will not win with both of those contracts especially since Lewis is terribly overmatched in the slower pace of the playoffs at his position. Neither work hard on D, and neither hit clutch shots or make good decisions with the ball when it counts. They could win with one guy like that, but not two.
They need a backup point Guard. They can win with Nelson, although Rondo schooled him and he still makes a lot of mistakes. But they can't win with Nelson alone at the point. And Jayson No D Williams is not the answer.
They have some keepers. No doubt Riddick could become a very good two guard in their system. Bass, Gorat , and Pietras, aren't bad on the bench. And Howard certainly could become the most dominating big man since Shaq in his prime.
Howard, while a very good player needs to get his foul shooting and post defensive footwork up to par to become a GREAT player. In the next two years we will find out if he is just another great athletic talent or if he has the dedication it takes to be a true championship leader. Shaq, never got any better, and he couldn't win anything without Kolbe or Duane Wade. Hell he couldn't even win with Lebron.
To be fair and unbiased, Shaq was "aging" when he signed with Miami and there really wasn't hope for Cleveland, Shaq or not. Lebron is great, but its going to take more than one or two players to win the trophy.
People said he would never win away from L.A., and considering that he helped rebuild a Heat team that hadn't had any championship hope for years, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he proved a bunch of people wrong.
I'm not willing to give any credit to Shaq for that teams title. That team got lucky with a lot of help from the officials, and the league, looking the other way on the Alonzo Mourning debacle. The series against Detroit and Dallas that year were King Wade coronation celebrations. While Wade is no doubt a great player, the basketball gods role over every time that team and NBA championship are mentioned in the same sentence.
Antonine Walker got a ring with that team. Ugh!
Shaq was no doubt a very good player, in an era of remarkably few if any other quality centers. He never got any better then the player he was after his first couple of seasons. His "feud" with Kobe was just immature jealousness and he was the veteran. His foul shooting has always been pathetic, his basic offensive move was an offensive foul. The league looked the other way in the beginning and never called him on it (it was bad for the Sterns marketing department), and he did it so quick he got away with it. He is one of those guys that was incredibly gifted, a bit lazy, not necessarily a bad guy, but he never had a passion for basketball.
Then you spent five paragraphs detailing their deficiencies. So yeah, they are wannabes at this point.
Good call on Rashard Lewis. I watched him play in Seattle. He got over on Orlando with that contract.
-Mike
Yeah, but in a sense it's a whole league full of wannabes. There are no great teams. Ironically as many deficiencies as Orlando has look around the rest of the East for next Season. Who will challenge them? The C's will be a year older, Cleveland may break the whole thing up if Lebron goes, Atlanta, no way? And the West isn't that much stronger. There aren't any teams here that would beat the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons or Bulls teams of the eighties and nineties. They all have serious flaws.
I picked the C's by a nod over the Lakers before the Season, then drew back when the C's looked so bad during the reg. season. I forgot that veteran teams do better during the playoffs because there is more time between games to heal up, none of this four games in five nights you get during the reg, season.
As I said before to be a great champion you need these ingredients:
1) Two dependable inside scorers that can get to the free throw line and score when the game slows down.
2) Three inside players who can rebound, play inside defense, and use up some fouls on defense, and are quick enough to switch outside on pick and rolls.
3) Two players who can manufacture offense when the play brakes down.
4) A point guard who knows how to find hot shooters, recognize mismatches, is a good foul shooter and can play solid on the ball defense.
5) At least one defensive specialist who can slow down a hot wing player.
6) No one who is a total defensive liability
I don't think any team qualifies, the last champion to fit this description was the San Antonio Spurs.
I really think that the C's would beat the Suns rather handily. The Suns don't match up well with the C's, if you think they're having trouble with the Lakers height what happens when they play a team with much more height who can slow it down and shoot outside. The only way the Suns beat the C's if the officials call it real close taking a more physical C's team out of the game.
Plus I hate it when teams don't play defense and win championships.
Its true. El Nasho is like Superman tho, almost nothing will stop him. He'll have broken ribs sticking out of his chest and still be going hard.
All I got out of this is that you can't stand Shaq. I already knew you were a Pistons homer.I'm not willing to give any credit to Shaq for that teams title. That team got lucky with a lot of help from the officials, and the league, looking the other way on the Alonzo Mourning debacle. The series against Detroit and Dallas that year were King Wade coronation celebrations. While Wade is no doubt a great player, the basketball gods role over every time that team and NBA championship are mentioned in the same sentence.
Antonine Walker got a ring with that team. Ugh!
Shaq was no doubt a very good player, in an era of remarkably few if any other quality centers. He never got any better then the player he was after his first couple of seasons. His "feud" with Kobe was just immature jealousness and he was the veteran. His foul shooting has always been pathetic, his basic offensive move was an offensive foul. The league looked the other way in the beginning and never called him on it (it was bad for the Sterns marketing department), and he did it so quick he got away with it. He is one of those guys that was incredibly gifted, a bit lazy, not necessarily a bad guy, but he never had a passion for basketball.
