YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!! Go Celtics! That was a great series. The Pistons are a great team and had they beat the Celtics, I would be rooting for them in the finals. I can't wait for Thursday!!!!
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The NBA Playoffs Thread
- Thread starter StanFan
- Start date
I just can't believe the C's are going to the FINALS!!
I've been a loyal fan since '87, even through the 15 win season in '97, Reggie Lewis, Vin Baker, Rick Pitino, trading away Chauncey & David Wesley, Charles Smith (Hoyas star point guard who killed 2 in a hit-and-run and went to jail), Len Bias, Acie Earl, Dino Radja, Pervis Ellison.....all the bad picks, contracts, coaching decisions, bad luck and last years debacle of a 24 win season and THEY'RE GOING TO THE FINALS AGAINST L.A.!!!
Priceless.
I've been a loyal fan since '87, even through the 15 win season in '97, Reggie Lewis, Vin Baker, Rick Pitino, trading away Chauncey & David Wesley, Charles Smith (Hoyas star point guard who killed 2 in a hit-and-run and went to jail), Len Bias, Acie Earl, Dino Radja, Pervis Ellison.....all the bad picks, contracts, coaching decisions, bad luck and last years debacle of a 24 win season and THEY'RE GOING TO THE FINALS AGAINST L.A.!!!
Priceless.
+1
And don't forget Ron Mercer and Antoine "The Grinch" Walker. The Celtics are definitely due. Let the trash talking begin!
Antoine still is complaining about feeling not apreciated in MN. hard to imagine why anyone wouldn't appreciate a power forward averaging 8 ppg and 3 rpg.
I've never understood stats like that. There are essentially zero similarities between those teams then and now.C's have won 8 of the 10 finals they've played in against LA.....
For the record, I don't like either team and couldn't care less who wins. My Jazz are on an extended vacation.
Yeah, I agree. I do believe one more title would have put them in the Same class with San Antonio, remember they never even repeated a NBA finals trip. And I was hoping for that title this year.
They are a paradox of a team, I think it almost came too easy for them against the Lakers in 04. They weren't predicted to stand a chance in that series, the west had won like four in a row, and the east teams were just fodder for the superior west to beat up on. I remember Bill Lambier saying on local radio that the Pistons would win because LA doesn't play defense and everyone being stunned. Well a few things happened, one, the rules changed to make it harder to hand-check outside (no team will ever hold 20+ straight teams to under 70 points like that 04 team).
Two, they lost almost all of their bench, because of ridiculous salary cap rules the Pistons were unable to keep Mehmet Okur, Mike James, or Corlis Williamson. The Okur loss hurt a lot, and he was a Pistons draft choice. Three, L Brown was a distraction the following season, they still got to the finals and took SA to seven games, without any bench despite the fact that all ESPN was talking about was LB during the playoffs. Four, because they got to the finals two years in a row in a dominating fashion, it became too easy to them, while the East began to catch up.
Now what do they do?
1) Do they keep Flip Sanders, the fact is the Pistons appear to have turned him off, and they weren't ready in game three? While the players play, at some point you have to ask the question, is Flip the guy?
2) What about Rasheed? Last year, he played great during the playoffs, and despite his game six meltdown (the game was over) he was probably their best player in the finals against Cleveland. He is a rare and unique talent and very underrated defensively. First he's 33, so can they get close to equal value for him, his contract is expiring, he could certainly put the right contender over the top, but I think his trade value is very limited. OTOH, I think his stichk has run it's course in Detroit, the dancing, and the high emotion without production aren't worth it.
3) Does this group have another run in them? The encouraging thing is Stuckey has a HUGE upside and seems to be a pressure player. Detroit needs a player who can break down a defense on his own. OTOH, Prince seemed to peak in the finals AGAIN. Perhaps the pressure of guarding Ingoduia, Lewis, and Pierce was just to tiring. But again he seemed to have 0 legs in the conference finals despite having far less minutes during the regular season.
4) What about Billups? He probably has pretty good value, and point guards who can shoot in the clutch are a rare commodity in the league.
5) What about Hamilton? He is a very efficient SG, one of the most efficient shooters in the league. He raises his average in the playoffs, and he plays good D. Maybe the Pistons need to think about moving him to the three and starting Stuckey as a two? And bring Prince off the bench? He probably has good trade value, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Pistons package Wallace and one of their guards in a blockbuster to get a young star.
A lot of questions for Joe D in the off season.
Good observations, Steve. Rasheed has been the T.O. of basketball for too long, and if i were a pistons fan, I'd be happy to see him take his travelling circus elsewhere. 4 points and another attempted meltdown in game 6 *again*? Where's the beef?
Also, WTH is up with Maxiell? Offensively, he seems to be a monster, and his energy is great... but if he continues to average a foul every minute or so, how much can he really help any team?
Also, WTH is up with Maxiell? Offensively, he seems to be a monster, and his energy is great... but if he continues to average a foul every minute or so, how much can he really help any team?
'84 for me. When I was a kid (grew up in NY) I hated watching basketball on TV; I just didn't understand the game and didn't understand/enjoy any aspect of what I could see on the tube. Then I moved to Boston and wound up working in an audio/video store in 1984 where the display televisions were always tuned to Celtics games. Bird, Mchale, Parish, DJ et al at the top of their game...suddenly it all made sense. I became a diehard Celtics fan from that moment on.
Talk about a lifetime of frustration! I can't believe they're going to the finals either! And against their old nemesis, it's like a time warp. I'll be very curious to see how this plays out.
Early 70's for me! Not sure why growing up in Ohio, but young kids are allowed to be front runners I suppose.
Celtics. Pfft. Don't make me start another friendly wager thread.
Your on!
Maybe some used strings or something of lesser value...
Well it appears Flip Sanders will not be coaching the Pistons next season. It will be interesting to see what other changes Joe D makes. I have a suspicion at least two of the starters will not be here or at least not starting next year.
As far as the finals, I will be watching when they don't interfere with the Wings cup celebrations. So here's my quickie analysis.
Center: Perkins is more Physical then Gasol, but Gasol is obviously more skilled. I'm not sure these guys will always be on each other. Edge to the Lakers, but not by as much as you think, Perkins can be dominating on the glass, and could be a difference maker even if Gasol puts up better numbers.
P Forward: Lamar Odom is really out of position here. He is an NBA three, and Garnett could certainly hurt him in the post. Also Garnett is a far better defender. Edge to the C's
S Forward; Paul Pierce against Radmonivic, you have to go with Pierce in this one. The more the ball is in Perce's hand the better chance the C's have. Radmonivic has improved on D, and is capable of scoring, wether or not he's capable in this match-up has yet to be seen. He i will certainly have to work a lot harder covering Pierce , then Bowan. Large edge to the C's.
S Guard: Ray Allen vs. K Bryant. On paper this looks fairly close but I give Kobe a huge edge. Kobe is capable of making Alllen a non factor, and Allen will have trouble with Kobe's D. Remember Allen had a tough time with Hamilton, and while I like RH's game, he's not Kobe.
P Guard: Derek Fischer makes far better ball decisions and can make some key shots. If Fischer can keep Rondo out of the paint, this also figures to go the Lakers way.
Bench: Neither team has a great bench, I give the Lakers a slight edge in the back court with Farmer, but I think PJ Brown and Posey could be key contributors for the C's. Advantage Celtics.
Coaching: Rivers has never been to the finals as a Player or a coach (I don't believe). I'd have to give the edge to the Lakers
Intangibles: Home court and the ghost of Red Auerbach will give the C's an edge here. Officials, unfortunately they could decide the series. If they let them play the C's have a big edge, because they can get physical and slow the game down. The Lakers offense will not be near as effective if they don't get a lot of easy looks on the run. OTOH a tightly called series with the C's seeing a lot of foul trouble for the big three could be huge. The C's are a very physical team (get away with murder) especially in the Garden. Slight edge to the C's.
Prediction, the C's in seven.
As far as the finals, I will be watching when they don't interfere with the Wings cup celebrations. So here's my quickie analysis.
Center: Perkins is more Physical then Gasol, but Gasol is obviously more skilled. I'm not sure these guys will always be on each other. Edge to the Lakers, but not by as much as you think, Perkins can be dominating on the glass, and could be a difference maker even if Gasol puts up better numbers.
P Forward: Lamar Odom is really out of position here. He is an NBA three, and Garnett could certainly hurt him in the post. Also Garnett is a far better defender. Edge to the C's
S Forward; Paul Pierce against Radmonivic, you have to go with Pierce in this one. The more the ball is in Perce's hand the better chance the C's have. Radmonivic has improved on D, and is capable of scoring, wether or not he's capable in this match-up has yet to be seen. He i will certainly have to work a lot harder covering Pierce , then Bowan. Large edge to the C's.
S Guard: Ray Allen vs. K Bryant. On paper this looks fairly close but I give Kobe a huge edge. Kobe is capable of making Alllen a non factor, and Allen will have trouble with Kobe's D. Remember Allen had a tough time with Hamilton, and while I like RH's game, he's not Kobe.
P Guard: Derek Fischer makes far better ball decisions and can make some key shots. If Fischer can keep Rondo out of the paint, this also figures to go the Lakers way.
Bench: Neither team has a great bench, I give the Lakers a slight edge in the back court with Farmer, but I think PJ Brown and Posey could be key contributors for the C's. Advantage Celtics.
Coaching: Rivers has never been to the finals as a Player or a coach (I don't believe). I'd have to give the edge to the Lakers
Intangibles: Home court and the ghost of Red Auerbach will give the C's an edge here. Officials, unfortunately
they could decide the series. If they let them play the C's have a big edge, because they can get physical and slow the game down. The Lakers offense will not be near as effective if they don't get a lot of easy looks on the run. OTOH a tightly called series with the C's seeing a lot of foul trouble for the big three could be huge. The C's are a very physical team (get away with murder) especially in the Garden. Slight edge to the C's.Prediction, the C's in seven.
I think you're underestimating Boston's bench.
They haven't always been completely consistent, but more than one time during these playoffs they've changed the course of a game in Boston's favor.
Other than Kobe, and maybe it's because I haven't seen much of this team, they don't have anyone to score the ball, especially against the team defense that Boston can play.
It should be a great series, and I'll be satisfied if Boston doesn't win (given their recent history), but I don't think that's going to happen.
They haven't always been completely consistent, but more than one time during these playoffs they've changed the course of a game in Boston's favor.
Other than Kobe, and maybe it's because I haven't seen much of this team, they don't have anyone to score the ball, especially against the team defense that Boston can play.
It should be a great series, and I'll be satisfied if Boston doesn't win (given their recent history), but I don't think that's going to happen.
Are you kidding? I would say the Lakers bench is way deeper than Boston's, not to mention that their starters are all shooters. Additionally, Lakers defense when it's on, is brutal.
I'm just sayin'......I've watched every game the C's played this year, and their bench CAN kick but, and I can imagine they'll be pumped to prove themselves in the finals.
The Lakers bench is DEEP. They've got some of those eastern european players that just, I'm not going to attempt to spell their names, but they're contributing significant amount of points each game.
