celtics just look little frustrated, I suspect them to come out strong and blow them out next game. Also go Lakers!
[quote]Tyler123 wrote:
That Shaq deal has made the Suns a much better team. Their points in the paint have gone up, as has their rebounding and FG %. Shaq gives them the inside presence that they need, something that Marion was not providing this year.
Marion checked out, plain and simple. Do I think they could have gotten something better for him? Yes, probably. Do I think they could have gotten something better after he handcuffed them demanding a trade, then dogged it for the first half of the season? No, probably not.
Look at what he accomplished in Miami, post trade. The guys is another Quinten Richardson. Whine whine whine that you’re not the #1 guy on a star studded team. Demand a trade or insinuate that you won’t resign and then play like shit once you’re on a new team.
Shaq has been solid, there is really no arguing it. The only way you can talk shit about him is if you’re still delusional and you think that he’s going to be LSU Shaq, or Orlando Magic Shaq.[/quote]
I agree, and the latest ESPN mag has published the post-trade stats to confirm this. Now when PHO gets knocked out, Shaq and GM Kerr will get too much of the blame while the guys who play with no heart (like Diaw) will get off scot-free. Even with Shaq in the middle, PHO still can’t get a stop when they need it so it’s hardly surprising that they won’t get out of the 1st round.
Also have to add that that Q analogy was really awesome.
[quote]Xeneize wrote:
If Bynum were back, and, in a groove, and had the chemistry going with Kobe, Gasol, et. al., shit, I wouldn’t be worried about ANY team.[/quote]
Well no chance of him being in a groove, but he would be another skilled 7-fter out there. Still, a part of me is kinda hoping they just shut him down for the season. The kid is still really young.
[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
Frightening development for the rest of the league that rumors of the Spurs’ demise proved to be premature. Assuming NO will hold off Dallas, the Hornets will be running into a machine in the 2nd round. I don’t like their chances at all, regardless of the regular season results. Frankly, I don’t much like Utah’s (or Houston, if they pull off the improbable) or LAL’s chances down the road either, but we’ll see.[/quote]
If the Borg can get past NO, and I do mean if, then I’ll go ahead right now and call LAL over SA in 5 for the Western Conf Finals. great post btw.
[quote]chillain wrote:
Well no chance of him being in a groove, but he would be another skilled 7-fter out there. Still, a part of me is kinda hoping they just shut him down for the season. The kid is still really young.
[/quote]
This is seeming to be increasingly likely. Officially, when they talk about it they try to be a little vague. But I’ve listened to a few locker-room interviews and post-game talks with the coaching staff. Bynum will not be back till next season. Although there is an off chance he could show up on the bench, in uniform(but not play any minutes) before then.
[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
I would rank the remainder of the first round like this, going from “signed, sealed, delivered locks” to “still have some intrigue left”:
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C’s 2, Hawks 0
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Jazz 2, Rockets 0
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Spurs 2, Suns 0
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Lakers 2, Nuggets 0
^Those series are done. They’ve just gotta play out the string. -
Pistons 1, Sixers 1
^Pistons shouldn’t lose to Philly, but can’t call it over when it’s still 1-1. Still, their attitude of “We can turn it on when we want to” looms as a pretty ominous sign for the later rounds. -
Hornets 2, Mavs 0
^Hornets are in good shape. But if Dallas pops out of their two-year funk, they are still one of the most talented and seasoned teams in the league while NO are playoff newbies. -
Magic 2, Raptors 0
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Cavs 2, Wizards 0
^It would not be a stunner to see either Toronto or Washington storm back to take their respective series. But, obviously, they’ve gotta take the Game 3’s.
[/quote]
I would like to revisit this list now that every first round series has played at least four.
I had been thinking about this before any of tonight’s games, but I’ll go ahead and alter it now that NO has officially knocked out Dallas and Detroit will likely take a 3-2 lead back to Philly for Game 6.
Same system as before, higher ranking means less intrigue:
- LAL over Denver, 4-0
- Orlando over Toronto, 4-1
- NO over Dallas, 4-1
Series still going:
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Utah 3, HOU 1
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SAS 3, PHX 1
^ These two series’ are basically formalities. I don’t think HOU or PHX has much of a chance of pulling off 3 straight W’s. PHX @ SAS Game 5 has just tipped as I write this. -
CLE 3, WAS 1
^ CLE should hang on, but they’re not a lead-pipe lock just yet. -
Detroit 3, Philly 2
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Boston 2, Atlanta 2
^ Stunning developments with the East’s top two seeds (especially seeing Boston fall from #1 in my first first rankings to #8 in these!). Detroit won a huge Game 5, and now looks likely to escape Philly. Boston is on the ropes, and they NEED Game 5 tomorrow night. What started as an inconvenience for the C’s has turned into a pure survival situation.
It appears from the first round results that perhaps the West was full of paper tigers while the East was actually underrated quite a bit.
This is actually how I feel. While hoping in the back of my mind that Bynum would return and be productive, I think the Lakers are playing very well and not rushing him and messing up the continuity they have is the best thing they could do.
As expected, the Suns crumbled under pressure. You can’t show fear in the fourth and expect to beat the Spurs.
Also, no surprise that the Hornets closed out Dallas. Dallas and Phoenix are going to have to do some soul-searching. Their windows of opportunities with the lineups they currently have are rapidly closing.
I think the Hornets are going to be a handful for the Spurs. This is going to be a great series.
The Lakers will wax Utah/Houston, probably in 5 games. Great win by the Rockets tonight, though.
Looking forward to Hornets vs Spurs
Go Hornets!
Shaquille “I-hit-my-free-throws-when-they-count” O’Neal just eliminated his Suns because of his piss-poor FT shooting.
I have always strongly disliked Shaq in large part because of his stubborn refusal to learn how to shoot his damn free throws. While he was a GREAT player in his prime, he would’ve been darn near unstoppable if he could’ve hit 70% of his FT’s rather than 50%.
Plus, it’s about the only part of professional basketball that any Tom, Dick, or Harry off the street can learn to do as well as the pros, yet Shaq never put in the work to learn such a basic skill.
Between his chronic shoddy conditioning and his cavalier disregard for an easily correctable fundamental deficiency that was a huge weak link in his game, I’ve always considered Shaq more of a blind-ass lucky guy who won the genetic lottery rather than a true professional.
And that lack of professionalism eliminated his team tonight. Kudos, Shaq.
Sarcasm aside, legitimate kudos to the Rockets for showing heart and fending off elimination for another night. I keep writing this team off, and while I still don’t think they’ll win the series, they’ve been proving me wrong about their mental toughness.
And major disrespect to the Nuggets. While Philly and Atlanta demonstrated that grit and toughness can push you over the top even against a vastly superior opponent, Denver showed an appalling lack of heart as they rolled over and died vs. LA.
No team that has AI, Carmelo, Kenyon Martin, and Marcus Camby in their starting 5 and wins 50 regular season games should be swept in the first round. Ever.
Xeneize, this quote:
was chillain’s, just for the record.
[quote]tGunslinger wrote:
Xeneize, this quote:
Well no chance of him being in a groove, but he would be another skilled 7-fter out there. Still, a part of me is kinda hoping they just shut him down for the season. The kid is still really young.
was chillain’s, just for the record.[/quote]
Whoops. Sorry about that.
As for Shaq, I agree with you on the free throw shooting, but the Suns also had a problem with Steve Nash who kept turning the ball over in crunch time. And he just flat out can’t guard someone like Tony Parker or Chris Paul.
Stupid Nuggets! The Warriors would have at least made it a interesting series.
[quote]Xeneize wrote:
tGunslinger wrote:
Xeneize, this quote:
Well no chance of him being in a groove, but he would be another skilled 7-fter out there. Still, a part of me is kinda hoping they just shut him down for the season. The kid is still really young.
was chillain’s, just for the record.
Whoops. Sorry about that.
As for Shaq, I agree with you on the free throw shooting, but the Suns also had a problem with Steve Nash who kept turning the ball over in crunch time. And he just flat out can’t guard someone like Tony Parker or Chris Paul.[/quote]
Yeah, that Suns loss really was a team effort. The inbounds pass that flew right through Nash’s hands with 25 seconds left was just painful to watch. I can only imagine what is was like Suns fans to watch that.
But still, PHX lost by 5 (though it even closer than that before SA hit their FT’s at the end), and Shaq went 9-20 from the foul line.
9-20, in a 5 point loss in an elimination game.
That’s totally, completely inexcusable, and I’d demand a damn refund from Shaq if I was the Suns owner.
[quote]Kalle wrote:
Stupid Nuggets! The Warriors would have at least made it a interesting series. [/quote]
The Warriors would have fucking beaten the Lakers for their 2nd consecutive 8th-1st seed upset. Then they would become known as the most feared first-round match-up, in a similar way that the Pistons were a feared conference finals match-up.
[quote]Tyler123 wrote:
The Raptors ruined my day again.
And Gunslinger:
That Shaq deal has made the Suns a much better team. Their points in the paint have gone up, as has their rebounding and FG %. Shaq gives them the inside presence that they need, something that Marion was not providing this year.
Marion checked out, plain and simple. Do I think they could have gotten something better for him? Yes, probably. Do I think they could have gotten something better after he handcuffed them demanding a trade, then dogged it for the first half of the season? No, probably not.
Look at what he accomplished in Miami, post trade. The guys is another Quinten Richardson. Whine whine whine that you’re not the #1 guy on a star studded team. Demand a trade or insinuate that you won’t resign and then play like shit once you’re on a new team.
Shaq has been solid, there is really no arguing it. The only way you can talk shit about him is if you’re still delusional and you think that he’s going to be LSU Shaq, or Orlando Magic Shaq.
Didn’t mean to be harsh, like I said - the Raps ruined my afternoon.[/quote]
I’m sorry, but that’s just absurd. The Suns were WINNING the series last year when Horry clotheslined Nash and Stoudemire and Diaw got suspended. Horry should’ve been suspended for the series, if not the rest of the playoffs. Also, what no one mentions is Garrison [the ref caught betting on games] was officiating that series. Kinda makes all those one-sided calls look a little suspicious, huh? Point blank the Suns should’ve been in the finals last year.
The Quinton Richardson comparison is retarded. Marion, while playing injured, still averaged 15pts, 10 boards, 2 asts,2 stls and 1.5 blocks. He played 16 games for Miami and called it a season as there’s no need to risk injury on a lottery bound team.
White Flash:
Lets put this to rest concerning SA vs. Pho last year. Last night Bell fouled Parker just as flagrantly as anything Horry did to Nash last year when he gave Parker a forearm shiver to the head while Parker was in the air sending Parker practically into the bleachers. Bell did not go for the ball at all. Did Duncan and Ginobli come off the bench with fists flailing looking to start a fight? No. That's the difference between the two teams. One team has mental discipline and the other lacks it.
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
I’m sorry, but that’s just absurd. The Suns were WINNING the series last year when Horry clotheslined Nash and Stoudemire and Diaw got suspended. Horry should’ve been suspended for the series[/quote]
You might want to watch that video footage again, because that is not what happened. The Spurs were leading the series when it happened, and they had been leading that game(although they had lost this lead by the time the foul happened). That was also not a clothesline, it was a hard body foul that involved a table, hence flagrant 2. Had it happened anywhere else on the court, it would have been Flagrant 1 at best.
[quote]deputydawg wrote:
White Flash:
Lets put this to rest concerning SA vs. Pho last year. Last night Bell fouled Parker just as flagrantly as anything Horry did to Nash last year when he gave Parker a forearm shiver to the head while Parker was in the air sending Parker practically into the bleachers. Bell did not go for the ball at all. Did Duncan and Ginobli come off the bench with fists flailing looking to start a fight? No. That's the difference between the two teams. One team has mental discipline and the other lacks it. [/quote]
Or when Tony Parker got body checked by Shaq, collapsed to the floor, winded, and couldn’t move for 10 seconds.
In 2007, the Spurs were leading PHX 2-1 when the “Horry Altercation” occurred near the end of Game 4 in SA, which PHX won to tie the series 2-2.
Afterwards, PHX was without Stoudamire and Diaw for Game 5 in PHX, while the Spurs were without Horry for Games 5 and 6.
I don’t think it’s accurate to say that PHX would’ve won the series if not for the suspensions as that was a very tight series even before. There’s no guarantee that PHX would NOT have lost even with Amare and Diaw.
I do, however, think it’s accurate to say that those suspensions ended that series prematurely. That ruling was the nail in the coffin for PHX, as it pretty clearly cost them Game 5 at home. I thought it was an absurd ruling at the time and unfortunately put an unfair, IMO, ending to a series that was realistically the Western Conference Championship, if not the NBA Championship.
The NBA justified their decision by stating that there is no wiggle room in that rule; it’s black and white. However, can anybody square that explanation with the fact that Boston’s Kendrick Perkins and Atlanta’s Marvin Williams will be playing in Game 5 tonight despite stepping on the floor during an altercation in Game 4 on Monday?
I thought there was no wiggle room? Was this not the same rule that Barkley got nailed with back in the day because the toe of his sneaker was over the OB stripe?
Or perhaps, did Stern realize that PHX got hosed last year and decided that maybe there is a little wiggle room in that rule?
Huge comeback win for Wiz on road in Game 5 to stave off elimination.
Going back home to Washington for Game 6, trailing Cleveland 3-2.
Houston, Washington, Atlanta, and Philly are really making PHX’s and Denver’s choke jobs look really bad.
Tuesday, April 29th recap:
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Hornets defeat 7) Mavericks 99-94: Chris Paul with a triple-double (24, 15 dimes, 11 boards), David West added 25, and Hornets are on to the next round with a defeat of the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki had 22 and 13 points, and the Mavs made a late run, but it wasn’t enough to stave enough the inevitable.
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Pistons defeat 7) Sixers 98-81: Chauncey Billups had 21 and 12 assists, and a well-balanced Pistons team easily defeat the Sixers to go up 3-2 in the series. Andre Iguodola had 21 points, but received little help from his team, and the Sixers are now looking at playoff elimination.
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Rockets defeat 4) Jazz 95-69: Tracy McGrady had 29 points, Luis Scola added 18 and 12 boards, and the Rockets dominate the Jazz to pull the series 3-2. Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur had 19/10 boards and 14/10 boards, respectively, but poor shooting all night from the field doomed them.
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Spurs defeat 6) Suns 92-87: Tony Parker and Tim Duncan combined for 60 points (31 and 29 respectively), and the Spurs stave off a late Suns rally and take a hard fought series 4-1. All five Suns starters scored in double figures, but poor free throw shooting set the sun on their playoff life for this season.
Stud of the Night: Chris Paul. Triple-double, and a win to send the Hornets on to the next round makes him an easy choice. He has definitely proven more than expected of himself in his first playoff series, and will have a challenge in front of him with the Spurs.